Amid heightened India-Pakistan tensions, the Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan, Ishaq Dar, on Saturday (May 10) said that if India does not attack, then we will not either. According to reports, Deputy PM Ishaq Dar said, "If India does not attack, then we will not either."
"Islamabad will consider de-escalation if India stops further attacks, but added that its military is operating on the defensive and taking minimum action," said Dar.
Dar's statement, echoed by another federal minister, came as the Indian and Pakistani militaries targeted each other's installations using missiles in the last more than 12 hours, further escalating the already tense conflict situation.
“Pakistan will consider de-escalation if India stops further attacks. However, if India launches any further strikes our response will follow,” Dar added.
Stating that Pakistan is operating on the defensive, he said, “The action that the Pakistan civil military leadership has taken is proportionate. Many more actions can be taken, and we are ready for that, but this is the minimum action being taken just now, which will be continued for a while.”
“The tamasha (circus) that India has staged over the last three days, and we have no choice but to retaliate to India’s military actions,” Dar told media and added that Pakistan will not let India claim hegemony.
“This operation that we started today will all end in some way. It all depends on what India wants,” he reiterated.
What did Pakistan's Defence Minister say on Indo-Pak rising tensions?
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that we are ready for the next level as well. "If the world mediates, we are ready for that as well, but we will not lower our guard. The war between two nuclear powers is a matter of concern for the entire world. Even the spectators will be entangled in this situation."
Marco Rubio speaks to Pakistan Deputy PM, Army Chief
The US is intensifying its efforts to de-escalate the tensions between India and Pakistan. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to Pakistan's Foreign Minister and Deputy PM Ishaq Dar on Saturday (May 10) and reiterated the call to re-establish direct communication between India and Pakistan, as noted by the press statement from the US Department of State.
In the statement issued, it was noted that Secretary Rubio reiterated the stance for de-escalation and re-establishing direct communication so as to avoid miscalculations between Pakistan and India.
"Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. Secretary Rubio reiterated that both parties must find ways to de-escalate the current situation and re-establish direct communication to avoid miscalculation," the state department said.
Rubio repeated his call of offering American assistance for starting "constructive talks" between the two countries in order to "avoid future conflicts". Rubio had shared the same sentiment with his Indian counterpart, S Jaishankar on Saturday and Pakistan's Army Chief, General Asim Munir on Friday (May 9).
In his post the EAM said, Had a conversation with US Secretary of state Marco Rubio this morning. India's approach has always been measured and responsible and remains so.
Earlier, US White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the US intends to de-escalate the tensions between both the countries. Leavitt said that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been in talks with the leaders of both nations to de-escalate.
"This is something that the secretary of state and of course now our national security adviser as well, Marco Rubio, has been very much involved in. The President wants to see this de-escalate as quickly as possible," she said.
The de-escalation efforts come even as India launched the retaliatory strikes immediately after Pakistan attacked 26 locations across India on Saturday, the sources told ANI. Intermittent firing is still going on at several places along the Line of Control (LoC).At least four airbases in Pakistan were hit by Indian strikes in the early hours of Saturday.
Pakistan Army moving troops towards forward areas
Meanwhile, during a press briefing in New Delhi on Saturday, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh confirmed that the Pakistan Army is moving troops towards forward areas. Wing Commander Singh asserted that while all hostile actions have been effectively countered with proportionate responses, India has reiterated its commitment to de-escalation, conditional on reciprocal restraint from Pakistan.
"Pakistan Army has been observed to be moving its troops towards forward areas, indicating an offensive intent to further escalation. Indian armed forces remain in a high state of operational readiness, and all hostile actions have been effectively countered and responded proportionately. Indian armed forces reiterated their commitment to non-escalation, provided the Pakistan side reciprocates," Singh said.
"In a swift and calibrated response, Indian armed forces carried out a precision strike only at identified military targets... Pakistan has also attempted to execute a continued malicious misinformation campaign, with claims of destruction of the Indian S-400 system, destruction of airfields at Suratgarh and Sirsa... India unequivocally rejects these false claims being spread by Pakistan," she added.
