By Nasir Aijaz
The AsiaN Representative
ISLAMABAD: The National Security Advisers (NSAs) of Pakistan and India have spoken following New Delhi’s unprovoked missile strikes on Pakistan.
“There has been contact between the two,” Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told TRT (Turkish Radio and Television Corporation) World in response to a question whether the NSAs made contact after India’s overnight strikes against Pakistan.
India launched strikes on Pakistan and AJK early on the night of May 6, an assault that Islamabad called a “blatant act of war”, as tensions spiral between the nuclear-armed rivals after a deadly attack on tourists in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir last month.
Islamabad said six Pakistani locations, from mosques to hydropower projects, were targeted. At least 31 civilians, including children, were martyred and 57 sustained injuries after India launched unprovoked and devious attack on Pakistan, media reports suggest.
In retaliation, the Pakistan armed forces shot down five Indian Air Force jets, seven drones, destroyed a brigade headquarters and several check-posts along the Line of Control.
Dar said: “India has done something that is not condonable.”
“The country will decide when and what mode and which form we will react in future,” he added.
He said that Türkiye was the first country to issue a formal statement of condemnation over India’s aggression.
“After the attack, which was almost past midnight, around 1am, the first call I received was from foreign minister of Türkiye,” said Dar.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a telephonic conversation with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and expressed Türkiye’s readiness to “do its utmost to prevent further escalation of tensions” between India and Pakistan.
Erdogan expressed Türkiye’s solidarity with Pakistan and extended his condolences to the martyrs, and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.
Declaring it “a very supportive statement”, Dar said Erdogan’s words showed Türkiye is like “a very close brother” to Pakistan.
One of the first ambassadors to reach out to him personally and through Pakistan’s Foreign Office following India’s strikes was the Turkish ambassador in Islamabad, Dar added.
The Turkish president expressed support for Pakistan’s “calm and measured approach” to resolve the crisis.
In a separate statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said the attack by India “created a risk of all-out war” and condemned its “provocative” steps and the targeting of civilians.
“We greatly value our friendship and brotherhood with Türkiye,” Dar added.
In addition to Türkiye, other countries and multilateral players like the United Nations have also called for an early resolution of the military dispute between the two countries.
