Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan. (File)With tension between India and Pakistan escalating after the latter claimed to have shot down two Indian Air Force fighter jets over Pakistani air space following attack on ‘terror camp’ on its soil, the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia and the European Union on Wednesday urged the two neighbouring countries to exercise utmost restraint and avoid further military action.
From asking the two nations to holding peace talks to ensuring regional stability, major powers across the world urged India and Pakistan to adopt steps to de-escalate the tension.
Here is what the major global powers said:
Avoid escalation at any cost: US
Concerned over the prevailing situation, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held separate talks with foreign ministers of both the nations and urged them to refrain from “further military activity”. “I expressed to both ministers that we encourage India and Pakistan to exercise restraint, and avoid escalation at any cost,” Pompeo, who is accompanying President Donald Trump at the second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said in Vietnam.
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India, Pakistan must ensure regional stability: UK
UK Prime Minister Theresa May also voiced her concerns over the deteriorating relations between India and Pakistan and called for regional stability. She said, “The UK is deeply concerned about rising tensions between India and Pakistan and urgently calls for restraint on both sides to avoid further escalation. We are in regular contact with both countries, urging dialogue and diplomatic solutions to ensure regional stability.”
Responding to an urgent question on “The situation in Jammu & Kashmir” during the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions session, May told the House of Commons that the UK remained in regular contact with both countries and was working towards de-escalating tensions.
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China asks India, Pakistan to resolve tension through talks
Asking the two sides to engage in dialogue to uphold the peace and stability in the region, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said, “I understand that in the latest development, Pakistan says it had shot down two Indian aircraft and captured Indian pilots.”
Russia expresses “serious concern” over ongoing tension
Moscow called on both sides to exercise “restraint”, and said the existing problems should be solved by “political and diplomatic means”.
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Rising tension can have serious consequences: European Union
Calling for utmost restraint, the European Union said that the rising tension between the two countries has the potential to lead to “dangerous consequences”. In a statement, European Union Commission Vice President Federica Mogherini said, “Following the recent terrorist attack in Pulwama, tensions along the ‘Line of Control’ between India and Pakistan have escalated militarily during the last days. This has the potential to lead to serious and dangerous consequences for the two countries and the wider region.”
Mogherini, who is also the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said the EU expects both countries to “now exercise utmost restraint” and avoid any further escalation.
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“To this end, the resumption of diplomatic contacts at political level and implementation of urgent measures by both sides is vital,” she said.
“Terrorism can never be justified. I spoke a few days ago by telephone with the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, to emphasise the need to continue to address terrorism, including clear and targeted actions related to all forms of terrorist activity,” she added.
