27 February 2019•Update: 27 February 2019
By Riyaz ul Khaliq
ANKARA
China on Wednesday again urged restraint by India and Pakistan amid heightened tensions in the region and claims of downed jets and air incursions.
The nuclear-armed neighbors should “exercise restraint” and seek dialogue, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang told a press briefing in Beijing.
Pakistan early today claimed that it brought down two Indian fighter jets and arrested two Indian pilots after India on Tuesday claimed its jets entered Pakistani airspace and bombed a camp of the Jaish-e-Muhammad militant group. Pakistani denied the jets had done any damage.
“We hope that both India and Pakistan can exercise restraint, take initiatives that are conducive to promoting dialogue, meet halfway and make active efforts for lasting peace and stability in South Asia,” the Press Trust of India (PTI) quoted Lu Kang as saying.
It is China's second statement in 48 hours calling for restraint between the neighbors amid escalating tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi.
Early today, at a Russia, India and China (RIC) meeting in Beijing, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told Russia and China that India “does not wish to see further escalation of the situation and will continue to act with responsibility and restraint.”
Blasting Pakistan for the Feb. 14 Kashmir attack that spurred the current tensions, Swaraj defended India's subsequent “airstrikes on terrorist bases in Pakistan,” calling them “pre-emptive action” to deter further terrror attacks.
On Feb. 14 at least 44 Indian paramilitary forces personnel were killed in a suicide attack by the outlawed Jaish-e-Mohammed group in Indian-administered Kashmir.
