Ominous warning as Pakistan, India conflict death toll rises
More than 50 people have been killed during India and Pakistan's biggest armed confrontation in decades, with both sides accusing the other of orchestrating drone attacks.
The escalation between the nuclear-armed rivals follows an attack on tourists in the Indian-run part of disputed Kashmir that killed 26 people on April 22 and Indian air strikes on 'terrorist camps' on Wednesday.
In the third day of tit-for-tat exchanges since, the Indian army said that it 'repulsed' Pakistani attacks using drones and other munitions overnight and gave a 'befitting reply'.
On Friday, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shafqat Ali Khan blamed India for the conflict erupting saying its 'reckless conduct has brought the two nuclear-armed states closer to a major conflict'.
'India's jingoism and war hysteria should be a source of serious concern for the world,' he said during a press briefing in the capital Islamabad.
India accused Pakistani forces on Thursday of targeting three military stations – two in Kashmir and one in the neighbouring state of Punjab.
Pakistan's Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said Pakistan has 'not targeted any locations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir, or across international border, so far'.
Five civilians were killed including a two-year-old girl by Indian shelling overnight in areas along the heavily militarised Line of Control, Pakistani security and governments officials said.
'In response, the Pakistan Army carried out a strong counter-attack, targeting three Indian posts across the Line of Control (LoC),' police official Adeel Khan, based in Kotli district where four of the deaths occurred, told AFP.
Pakistani military sources said that its military had shot down 77 Indian drones in the last two days, claiming they were Israeli-made.
In Indian-administered Kashmir, a police official said one woman died after heavy overnight shelling in Uri, 100km from the state capital Srinagar, and two men were wounded.
'The youth of Kashmir will never forget this act of brutality by India,' said 15-year-old Muhammad Bilal in Muzaffarabad, the main city in Pakistan-administered Kashmir where a mosque was hit in Wednesday's strikes.
In Indian-administered Jammu, Piyush Singh, a 21-year-old student, said: 'Our (attack) is justified because we are doing it for whatever happened to our civilians.'
Schools closed
India and Pakistan have fought several wars over Kashmir which has been split since 1947 when British colonial rule ended and which both countries claim in full.
Pakistan has rejected claims by India's government that it was behind last month's attack, calling for an independent investigation.
Pakistani authorities insist they have the right to retaliate to India's initial strikes.
In a late Wednesday TV address to the nation, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warned they would 'avenge' those killed by Indian air strikes.
On Friday schools were closed on both sides of the Pakistan and Indian border in Kashmir and Punjab, affecting tens of millions of children.
India has also closed 24 airports, but according to local media the suspension on civilian flights may be lifted on Saturday morning.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket mega tournament was also suspended for a week, the Indian cricket board announced.
This came after an IPL match was abandoned in Dharamsala, less than 200km from the town of Jammu, where explosions had been reported.
The Pakistan Super League meanwhile was moved to the United Arab Emirates, after an Indian drone struck Rawalpindi stadium on Thursday.
India has ordered X to block more than 8000 accounts, the platform said, adding that it was reluctantly complying with what it described as government-imposed 'censorship'.
The move appears to be part of India's sweeping crackdown targeting social media accounts of Pakistani politicians, celebrities and media organisations.
'Immediate de-escalation'
American Vice President JD Vance has called for de-escalation, while underlining that Washington was 'not going to get involved in the middle of a war that's fundamentally none of our business'.
Several countries have offered to mediate, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in New Delhi on Thursday, days after visiting Pakistan.
Diplomats and world leaders have pressured both countries for restraint.
However, the International Crisis Group said 'foreign powers appear to have been somewhat indifferent' to the prospect of war, despite warnings of possible escalation.
'A combination of bellicose rhetoric, domestic agitation and the remorseless logic of military one-upmanship have heightened the risks of escalation, particularly because for some time there was no diplomatic communication between the sides,' it said.
Amnesty said the warring sides 'must take all necessary measures to protect civilians and minimise any suffering and casualties'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
9 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘Kim Jong Un vows ‘rapid expansion' of nuclear forces after US, South Korea move
Kim Jong Un has called for a 'rapid expansion' of North Korea's nuclear weapons capability in response to a joint US-South Korea military exercise which the Supreme Leader said could 'ignite a war'. The US and South Korea began their annual 'defence-oriented' exercise, Ulchi Freedom Shield, on Monday to prepare for potential threats from North Korea. Slamming the move, Mr Kim said: 'The US-ROK intensified military nexus and the muscle-flexing are the most obvious manifestation of their will to ignite a war,' according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). 'The prevailing situation requires us to make a radical and swift change in the existing military theory and practice and rapid expansion of nuclearization,' he said. Mr Kim made the comments when he visited North Korea's naval destroyer, Choe Hyon, on Monday and received a report about the warship's weapons systems. During his visit, he expressed satisfaction that 'the major tasks for making the navy high-tech and nuclear-armed' were 'progressing as planned' ahead of an assessment target in October, KCNA said. According to new agency, Mr Kim also confirmed plans to build a third destroyer by October after the nation's second destroyer was damaged in a failed launch in May before being repaired and relaunched in June. Running from 11 days from August 18 to 28, Ulchi Freedom Shield is aimed at 'strengthening the alliance's response capabilities'. About 21,000 troops, including 18,000 from South Korea, will be mobilised during the exercise. 'UFS25 is a defense-oriented exercise featuring live-fire, constructive, and field training exercises that engage alliance forces and governmental agencies,' the US Army said in a statement. 'ROK and U.S. units will conduct several large-scale, live-fire training events to strengthen interoperability, reinforce our combined defense posture, and increase combat readiness. Several United Nations Command member states are slated to contribute personnel and participate in various capacities.' The Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission, consisting of Sweden and Switzerland, will observe the exercise. North Korea – which attacked its neighbour in 1950, triggering the Korean War – has always been infuriated by US-South Korean military drills, decrying them as rehearsals for invasion. The US stations around 28,500 troops in South Korea, and the allies regularly stage joint drills they describe as defensive in nature. The two Koreas technically remain at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice, rather than a peace treaty. 'Not enemies': South Korea tries to build 'trust' with North Korea Mr Kim's remarks come after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung vowed last week to 'respect' North Korea's political system and build 'military trust', a day after Pyongyang said it had no interest in improving relations with Seoul. Mr Lee, who has pledged to pursue dialogue the North since his election in June, said the South Korean government 'will take consistent measures to substantially reduce tensions and restore trust' with the North. 'We affirm our respect for the North's current system,' he said at an event marking the anniversary of liberation from Japanese rule, adding that Seoul had 'no intention of engaging in hostile acts'. 'I hope that North Korea will reciprocate our efforts to restore trust and revive dialogue,' Mr Lee said. 'North and South are not enemies.' Kim Jong Un's sister says the North has 'no will to improve relations' The South Korean President's speech came after Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, said the North has 'no will to improve relations' with the South and denied reports North Korea was removing propaganda loudspeakers. 'We have never removed loudspeakers installed on the border area and are not willing to remove them,' Ms Kim said in an English-language statement carried by KCNA. 'Recently, the ROK has tried to mislead public opinion by saying that its 'goodwill measures' and 'appeasement policy' are meeting a response, as well as to create public opinion that the DPRK-ROK relations are being 'restored'', she added, referring to the two Koreas by the abbreviations of their formal names. 'We have clarified on several occasions that we have no will to improve relations with the ROK … and this conclusive stand and viewpoint will be fixed in our constitution in the future,' Ms Kim added. 'Whether the ROK withdraws its loudspeakers or not, stops broadcasting or not, postpones its military exercises or not and downscales them or not, we do not care about them and are not interested in them.' North Korea sent thousands of trash-carrying balloons southwards last year, saying they were retaliation for anti-North propaganda balloons floated by South Korean activists. Later, the South turned on border loudspeaker broadcasts for the first time in six years – including K-pop tunes and international news – and the North started transmitting strange sounds along the frontier, unsettling South Korean residents. The South's defence ministry said earlier this month it had begun removing loudspeakers from its side of the border as 'a practical measure aimed at helping ease tensions with the North'.
Sydney Morning Herald
15 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
LNP trumpets Adani mine investment but remains coy on royalty deal
The news Premier David Crisafulli has touted an end to state 'hostilities' with the Indian-owned operator of the Carmichael coal mine amid a new $50 million investment promise from Bravus at the central Queensland site. But Crisafulli and Treasurer David Janetzki have declined to reveal details of the deal struck by the former Labor government allowing the company formerly known as Adani to defer royalty payments, which continues. It also remains unclear exactly how the government was able to reach the truce after its investigations into potential unpaid royalties led to the company taking court action to bring the matter to an end. Why it matters The then Labor government struck a confidential royalties deal with Adani ahead of the 2020 state election. At the time, treasurer Cameron Dick declared: 'Adani will pay every dollar in royalties that they have to pay to the people of Queensland and the taxpayers of Queensland – with interest.' After claims in early 2023 that the India-based conglomerate used corporate structures to avoid tax, the Queensland Revenue Office, which is part of Treasury and reported to Dick, put the company's Australian arm on notice. In a letter that emerged as part of the company's legal action, the revenue office said it was investigating underpayments between July 2021 and April 2023, which would need to be repaid with interest plus 'a penalty of 75 per cent of the shortfall'. A summary of the case on the Queensland Courts website shows that in January this year, Adani filed to discontinue its judicial review of the matter, launched last May.
The Age
15 hours ago
- The Age
LNP trumpets Adani mine investment but remains coy on royalty deal
The news Premier David Crisafulli has touted an end to state 'hostilities' with the Indian-owned operator of the Carmichael coal mine amid a new $50 million investment promise from Bravus at the central Queensland site. But Crisafulli and Treasurer David Janetzki have declined to reveal details of the deal struck by the former Labor government allowing the company formerly known as Adani to defer royalty payments, which continues. It also remains unclear exactly how the government was able to reach the truce after its investigations into potential unpaid royalties led to the company taking court action to bring the matter to an end. Why it matters The then Labor government struck a confidential royalties deal with Adani ahead of the 2020 state election. At the time, treasurer Cameron Dick declared: 'Adani will pay every dollar in royalties that they have to pay to the people of Queensland and the taxpayers of Queensland – with interest.' After claims in early 2023 that the India-based conglomerate used corporate structures to avoid tax, the Queensland Revenue Office, which is part of Treasury and reported to Dick, put the company's Australian arm on notice. In a letter that emerged as part of the company's legal action, the revenue office said it was investigating underpayments between July 2021 and April 2023, which would need to be repaid with interest plus 'a penalty of 75 per cent of the shortfall'. A summary of the case on the Queensland Courts website shows that in January this year, Adani filed to discontinue its judicial review of the matter, launched last May.
