Concerned citizens in both Indian and Pakistan are calling for peace between the nuclear-armed neighbours amid military escalations during the past two days with both countries claiming to have carried out airstrikes and downing each other’s military jets.
India issued a demarche to the Pakistani High Commission in protest of Pakistani fighter jets allegedly entering into Indian airspace and has called for the repatriation of its pilot who is in the custody of the Pakistani military.
The crisis deepened on Wednesday with fighter jets of both countries engaging in a dogfight – a red line crossed for the first time since 1971 when the two countries fought a full-fledged war.
While Pakistan claimed it shot down two Indian jets, India claimed it brought down a Pakistani aircraft that allegedly intruded into Indian airspace and said one of its own MiG 21 was shot down during the skirmish. Pakistan denies its jets entered the Indian airspace.
Pakistani media showed video of an arrested Indian pilot who ejected from a MiG 21 aircraft that was shot down.
The Indian government called for the pilot’s safe return while also lodging an official protest over what it calls “unprovoked aggression” by Pakistan, claiming its jets targeted Indian military installations. Pakistan claimed it struck “non-military” targets.
A day earlier, Indian Air Force’s Mirage 2000 jets entered the Pakistani airspace and bombed Balakot, an area more than 60 kilometres from the line of control that works as a de facto boundary between the two countries. India said it was a “non-military preemptive strike” at what it claimed was a “terror camp” of Jaish-e-Mohammed – a proscribed group that claimed responsibility for an IED attack on Indian troops on February 14 in Kashmir that killed 40 paramilitary personnel.
While India claimed the airstrike killed "a large number of terrorists", Pakistan says minimal damage was caused.
Amid chest-thumping on news television and social media, people from both the countries have come together to call for defusing escalations and restoring the peace.
Among those using the hashtag #SayNoToWar is Nobel Laureate and Un Messenger of Peace, Malala Yusufzai who called on the prime ministers of both countries to solve the current conflict and the issue of Kashmir through dialogue.
Activists in Pakistan are planning peaceful demonstrations against "war hysteria" and military escalation.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said he was ready for a dialogue with India.
"We understand the grief that you have suffered in Pulwama and are ready for a probe and dialogue. Let's sit together and settle this with talks," Mr Khan said.
"If we let the conflict between the two nations escalate from this point, we don't know where it would go. It would neither remain in my control nor in Narendra Modi's," he added.
India claimed it's airstrike at a "terror camp" in Balakot on Tuesday was in response to intelligence that JeM was planning to carry out suicide attacks in India and Pakistan hadn't taken any action against the group. Pakistan denies the existence of these groups on its land.
