The Latest: India and Pakistan both say they will not escalate hostilities if the other reciprocates

India and Pakistan both disclosed they will not escalate hostilities if the other reciprocates after the two countries fired volleys of missiles across their borders It was the majority of serious increase in hostilities so far in a conflict triggered by a gun massacre last month that India blames Pakistan for Pakistan s foreign minister mentioned on Saturday that his country would consider de-escalation if India stopped any further attacks However Ishaq Dar warned that if India launched any further strikes our response will follow Dar notified Pakistan s Geo News that he also conveyed this message to U S Secretary of State Marco Rubio when he contacted him after speaking to New Delhi We responded because our patience had reached its limit If they stop here we will also consider stopping he disclosed Indian Wing Commander Vyomika Singh reported a news conference in New Delhi that her country was committed to non-escalation provided the Pakistan side reciprocates However Pakistani ground forces were observed mobilizing towards forward areas she reported indicating an offensive intent to further escalation The United States and other countries have urged Pakistan and India to de-escalate their conflict U S Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Indian officers and Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir on Saturday his spokesperson Tammy Bruce disclosed Rubio continued to urge both parties to find procedures to deescalate and offered U S assistance in starting constructive talks to avoid future conflicts There was no way to independently verify all the actions attributed to Pakistan or India Here is the latest China expresses concern offers to work on a remedy China says it is deeply concerned about the escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan and is willing to continue to play a constructive role in finding a remedy The Foreign Ministry on Saturday commented We strongly urge both sides to act in the larger interest of peace and stability exercise calm and restraint return to the track of political settlement through peaceful means and refrain from any action that could further escalate tension China is a strong Pakistani ally especially in the defense sector where they have jointly developed fighter aircraft while Beijing has fought one major war and several skirmishes along their disputed frontier India shuts down more airports in north and west India has shut more airports along its northern and western regions following the flare up in tensions with Pakistan The Civil Aviation Ministry in a announcement declared early Saturday the operation of civil flights will remain suspended from airports until May compared to two dozen stated previously The latest airports to be shut are mainly those located inthe northern states of Punjab Jammu and Kashmir and the western state of Gujarat bordering Pakistan Srinagar quiet after overnight explosions Greater part shops and businesses were open but traffic was thin on the roads in Srinagar the main city in Indian-controlled Kashmir which was rattled by multiple loud explosions Saturday Ruling body forces wearing body armor and carrying automatic rifles erected additional checkpoints on the main road leading to the city s airport a part of which also serves as an Indian air force station Several residents living close to the airport fled from their neighborhoods in fear of attacks The Indian military commented it was among three air bases that came under Pakistani attack early Saturday Local resident Munir Ahmed along with his family fled from their home as they didn t feel safe he commented We did not want to take any chances as my daughter is in her late pregnancy Ahmed revealed Leadership have already closed schools and other educational institutions across the region until Tuesday The greater part shops and businesses were shut in the region s Jammu city which witnessed Pakistan s Saturday strike and drone attacks for the past two nights Anxious residents declared police drove through selected neighborhoods and required shopkeepers to close businesses and stay indoors as a precautionary measure Pakistan official says at least killed and wounded in artillery exchanges near Line of Control A Pakistan official says at least people were killed and others wounded in what he noted was Indian shelling in several areas near the Line of Control in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir Mazhar Saeed the information minister for Pakistan-administered Kashmir reported Saturday that the the casualties occurred overnight following an intense exchange of fire between Pakistani and Indian forces He accused Indian troops of deliberately targeting civilians saying artillery fire destroyed about homes between Friday night and Saturday morning The wounded were being treated at various hospitals he added There was no way to independently confirm the figures Pakistan s prime minister says country has given its response Pakistan s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday advised the country s political leaders in separate calls that we have given India a befitting response and avenged the blood of our innocent citizens following what he disclosed were repeated Indian strikes on civilians India has denied hitting civilian targets In a message his office declared Sharif mentioned Pakistan had shown extreme restraint in the face of Indian provocations He announced Pakistan responded after India s overnight missile attacks at air bases and other places Pakistan foreign minister speaks to Saudi Arabian counterpart Pakistan s foreign ministry quoted Saudi Arabia s top diplomat Prince Faisal bin Farhan as saying he appreciated Pakistan s measured and restrained response to India in a phone call to his counterpart In a comment Pakistan s Foreign Ministry explained Ishaq Dar apprised Farhan on the current situation in the region following last night s Indian attacks and Pakistan s subsequent response Both leaders agreed to maintain close contact it revealed Pakistan s Foreign minister says his country will consider de-escalation if India reciprocates Pakistan s foreign minister explained on Saturday that his country would consider de-escalation if India stopped any further attacks However Ishaq Dar warned that if India launched any further strikes our response will follow Dar stated Pakistan s Geo News that he also conveyed this message to U S Secretary of State Marco Rubio when he contacted him after speaking to New Delhi We responded because our patience had reached its limit If they stop here we will also consider stopping he stated Indian military says it s committed to non-escalation if Pakistan reciprocates Wing Commander Vyomika Singh who was also present at the news conference commented India was committed to non-escalation if Pakistan reciprocates However Pakistani ground forces were observed mobilizing towards forward areas she reported indicating offensive intent to further escalate the situation Indian armed forces remain in a high state of operational readiness she added Singh explained Indian armed forces carried out precision strikes only at identified military targets in response to Pakistani actions All hostile actions have been effectively countered and responded proportionately she revealed India says it targeted Pakistani bases after Islamabad fired high speed missiles at Punjab India has stated that it targeted Pakistani military bases after Islamabad fired several high speed missiles at multiple Indian air bases in the country s Punjab state early Saturday Indian Col Sofiya Qureshi at a news conference in New Delhi revealed Pakistan also targeted healthcare facilities and schools at its three air bases in Indian-controlled Kashmir Befitting reply has been given to Pakistani actions she announced The Pakistani army s actions were provocation and India s response was measured foreign secretary Vikram Misri commented Indian Perimeter Assurance Force reports cross-border firing in Jammu India s Dividing line Defense Force in a declaration Saturday commented that Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing along the International Confines in the Jammu region overnight The BSF disclosed it responded to the firing and destroyed what it called a terror launch pad at Looni in Pakistan s Sialkot district adding that Indian troops caused widespread damage to the posts and assets of Pakistan territory line guards It offered a video footage to help its claim The affair couldn t be independently verified US and Turkey reach out to Pakistan The United States and Turkey contacted Pakistan s foreign minister the ministry declared in a declaration U S Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to discuss the escalating situation in South Asia and agreed to maintain close contact the report stated It added that Dar also held a phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan and briefed him on what he described as a deteriorating regional situation Indian air force denies destruction of S- air defense system in Punjab A spokesman for the Indian air force Wing Commander Jaideep Singh denied the maintains made by Pakistan that it had destroyed an S- air defense system in Adampur Punjab using hypersonic missiles Its fake A fact-check will be up soon by the Press Information Bureau he narrated AP Pakistan earlier commented one of it air force JF- Thunder aircraft launched hypersonic missiles and had destroyed the site There was no way to independently verify the attack US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with Pakistan s army chief Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir earlier the present day Spokesperson Tammy Bruce mentioned he continued to urge both parties to find techniques to deescalate and offered U S assistance in starting constructive talks in order to avoid future conflicts Indian army says it destroyed multiple Pakistani armed drones The Indian army disclosed in a comment that it destroyed multiple Pakistani armed drones that were spotted flying over a military cantonment in northern Punjab state s Amritsar city early Saturday Pakistan s blatant attempt to violate India s sovereignty and endanger civilians is unacceptable Indian Army will thwart enemy designs the announcement explained Red alert SMS sent to residents in northern Punjab s Amritsar city In northern Punjab s Amritsar city home to the famous Golden Temple the local administration issued a red alert Saturday with sirens blaring in the area In an SMS message to residents the administration requested they stay indoors and stay away from windows A red alert also issued in the town of Bathinda in Punjab which happens to be the location of a key air force station Pakistan says it targeted S- air defense system in India Pakistan s military disclosed on Saturday that its retaliatory strikes against India are ongoing According to a comment by the military the Pakistan Air Force s JF- Thunder aircraft launched hypersonic missiles that struck a key Indian military facility in Adampur in Punjab s Jalandhar district where India has an air force base The military claimed that the Indian S- air defense system was destroyed in the strike on Adampur India has not commented on any of the declares and there was no way to independently verify the information Indian prime minister held meeting with top shield officers hours before Pakistan commented India launched missiles Hours before Pakistan s claim of India launching missiles into its territories to target air bases Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with top assurance leaders including defense minister Rajnath Singh national prevention adviser Ajit Doval and the chiefs of the army navy and air force A video disclosed by Modi s office overnight evidenced one of the Indian military administrators taking notes of the discussion The video did not include sound At least one dead and two wounded from shelling in Indian-controlled Kashmir A civil administrator was killed and two others wounded in Pakistani shelling in a frontier town near the highly militarized Line of Control in Indian-controlled Kashmir leaders explained on Saturday Chief Minister Omar Abdullah announced the official was killed when a Pakistani shell hit his house in southern Rajouri town early Saturday Police explained the official s two staff members were critically injured in the occurrence Indian and Pakistani soldiers have heavily exchanged artillery and gunfire along the Line of Control that divides the disputed Kashmir region between two nuclear-armed rivals Indian bureaucrats noted Pakistani troops barraged their posts overnight with artillery mortars and gunfire at multiple locations in Indian-controlled Kashmir They reported Indian soldiers responded Saturday s killing takes the death toll in Indian-controlled Kashmir to since Wednesday when the two countries latest military standoff began Pakistan has declared Indian mortar and artillery fire has killed civilians in Pakistan-administered Kashmir in the same period Pakistan foreign minister says his country had no other option but to launch retaliatory strikes Pakistan s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced the country launched retaliatory strikes after exercising restraint for several days in the face of repeated Indian aggression There was no other option because India indicated no sincerity in response to the diplomatic efforts made by friendly countries Dar stated Geo News He revealed Pakistan had made it clear repeatedly that it reserves the right to respond under the provisions of the U N Charter adding We acted only after India continued firing drones and missiles He blamed India for the escalation saying India gave no positive response to the efforts that were made by the international region to defuse the situation Dar mentioned the world sought peace in the region but India ignored all pleas from the international region India will abstain from IMF meeting on Pakistan aid New Delhi Finance Ministry says it will abstain from a key meeting at the IMF on Friday that was convened for a fresh tranche of bailout package to Islamabad In a dissent note New Delhi raised concerns over the efficacy of IMF programs for Pakistan given its poor track record and the possibility of misuse of debt financing funds for state-sponsored cross frontier terrorism a declaration from India s finance ministry noted Pakistan PM convenes National Command Authority State-run Pakistan Television revealed Saturday morning that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has convened a meeting of the National Command Authority the body responsible for overseeing the country s missile activity and other strategic assets The meeting will be attended by the heads of the armed forces the intelligence chief and senior Cabinet members It is expected to review the latest developments following Pakistan s retaliatory strikes against India Pakistan shuts down flights countrywide Pakistan has shut down every airport for all flight operations according to the country s civil aviation authority In a announcement it stated the decision to close Pakistan s airspace for all flights was made because of the emerging situation following the attacks made by India Explosions in India appear to have been near military bases former Indian police official says Explosions were heard from areas that have military bases announced Shesh Paul Vaid a former top police official for Indian-controlled Kashmir and a resident of Jammu He added that it appeared army sites were being targeted There was no immediate comment from India s defense and foreign ministry and its armed forces Source