Iranian foreign minister arrives in New Delhi after Pakistan visit

Iranian foreign minister arrives in New Delhi after Pakistan visit

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has arrived in New Delhi as tensions between India and Pakistan surge.

Media outlets in India said Araghchi will meet with his Indian counterpart, S Jaishankar, later today, in a visit that comes in the shadow of India’s attacks on Pakistan and after the Iranian minister’s visit to Pakistan, where he met with the country’s prime minister and head of the military.

Indian media speculated that Tehran may seek to mediate in the conflict between India and Pakistan and that the foreign minister could possibly be carrying a message from Islamabad.

Pakistan PM calls Turkiye’s Erdogan ‘brother’, hails support after India attack

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has thanked Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his “solidarity and support” at what he described as a “critical time” for Pakistan.

In a post on social media, Sharif said he appreciated the “prayers of our Turkish brethren for the martyrs” following India’s “heinous” missile strikes.

The prime minister said he briefed the Turkish president “on the valiant efforts of our armed forces who repulsed the enemy with their bravery and professional superiority”.

“We will protect our sovereignty and territorial integrity at all costs,” he said, adding that Pakistan was also grateful for Turkiye’s efforts to secure de-escalation and peace in South Asia.

Pakistan’s response expected as situation remains fluid

Kamal Hyder, Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan

There have been funerals, including for women and children, as the Pakistani government says it will retaliate. That’s what everyone here is waiting for.

Also, there have been disruptions in air traffic, particularly in cities close to the Indian border. There were 47 civilian flights in the air at the time of the Indian attack, and Pakistan has complained to the International Civil Aviation Organization about that.

For the moment, travel and services at airports have been restored except for a few cities, but the situation remains fluid.

Pakistan hasn’t said anything about the latest exchange of fire, but it says it always retaliates when there is incoming fire. Since 2019, the border has been quiet because the two sides agreed to a ceasefire.

Now, those in Kashmir who have a bunker are staying put, but most of the population is getting out of the border areas.

Water is also going to be another major issue, as Pakistan says the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty is an act of war in an agricultural country.

‘Don’t want war’: Kashmiri towns caught in deadly India-Pakistan crossfire

As the camera panned around a home blown up by the mortar fire in Poonch, an embattled hill city perched on the disputed border between India and Pakistan, a disembodied female voice cried out.

“This is a calamity.”

The video, shared with Al Jazeera by locals in Poonch, revealed a collapsed staircase, large craters in the walls, and a courtyard cluttered with rubble and clothes, and painted in blood.

“Everything I built is in ruins,” the voice exclaimed, loaded with anguish.

At least 11 people have been killed in Poonch district from Pakistani firing into Indian-administered Kashmir since early May 7, in retaliation for Indian missile strikes that hit multiple sites across Pakistan’s Punjab province and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

‘I wish I could say that the worst is over’ – Former Pakistani FM Bhutto

Former Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has told Al Jazeera that India’s strikes on Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir were serious violations that would force any country to respond.

“I wish I could say that the worst is over,” he said.

Pakistan’s National Assembly session on escalating tensions set to begin shortly

Pakistan’s National Assembly is set to begin discussing the growing tensions with India, it said in a statement on X.

It described India’s “attempts to link Pakistan with the Pahalgam attack” as “baseless” and the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty as a “blatant violation”.

Witnesses share agony of loss amid cross-border violence in Kashmir

As we have been reporting, Indian authorities say at least 13 people have been killed in Indian-administered Kashmir due to Pakistani fire.

Madasar Choudhary, 29, described how his sister saw two children killed in Poonch, on the Indian side of the frontier, on Wednesday.

“She saw two children running out of her neighbour’s house and screamed for them to get back inside,” Choudhary told the AFP news agency, narrating her account because she was too shocked to speak.

“But shrapnel got to the children – and they eventually died.”

Iran’s foreign minister reiterates call for restraint from India, Pakistan

Earlier, we reported that Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had arrived in New Delhi to meet with his Indian counterpart, S Jaishankar, amid spiralling tensions between India and Pakistan.

Indian state media now reports that upon landing in the country’s capital, Araghchi reiterated his earlier call for restraint from both sides that he made during his visit to Pakistan this week.

“We hope that India and Pakistan will prevent the escalation of tension in the region,” he said.

“Our region needs peace, especially to expand economic cooperation between regional countries, and we hope this will happen,” he added.

Araghchi’s visit to India is preplanned, with the foreign minister slated to attend a joint economic commission between the countries.

Pakistan army claims 12 Indian drones shot down

The military said 12 Indian drones were “neutralised” at multiple locations with operations ongoing, adding that one civilian died and four Pakistan troops have been injured.

“Last night, India showed another act of aggression by sending drones to multiple locations,” army spokesman Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said.

“One managed to engage in a military target near Lahore.”

We will bring you more shortly.

Punjab government declares emergency in all hospitals

The government of Pakistan’s Punjab province has declared a state of emergency in all hospitals, allocating half of the total beds to emergency situations, local news outlet Dawn has said, citing a statement by the Punjab health deputy secretary.

These medical facilities have been directed to ensure round-the-clock availability of staff, postpone non-urgent surgeries and ensure the availability of blood bags of all blood groups, the report said.

Indian drones downed in nine locations across Pakistan: Army

We now have more from the Pakistani military spokesperson’s news briefing.

Pakistani forces took down Indian drones in nine locations – including near Karachi and in Lahore – and their debris is being collected, Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said.

“Indian drones continue to be sent into Pakistan airspace … (India) will continue to pay dearly for this naked aggression,” he added.

India’s foreign minister meets Saudi counterpart

India’s Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar has met with his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir, according to a post on X.

Jaishankar said he “shared India’s perspectives on firmly countering terrorism” during the meeting.

The meeting took place in India’s capital New Delhi, local media reported. The two countries enjoy close relations as well as robust bilateral trade.

Significant escalation in fire along Line of Control

Neha Poonia, Reporting from New Delhi, India

There’s been a significant escalation in the way the two armies are engaging along the Line of Control, the de facto border between India and Pakistani Kashmir.

The Indian army is saying that after India’s air strikes were conducted this week, small arms firing – which is what the Pakistani side was doing – has now turned to heavy artillery fire. India says 13 civilians have been killed and 59 injured. One army officer was also killed overnight.

An all party meeting is currently taking place. The government is meeting opposition leaders and briefing them on the steps it’s taken. In the last few days, we’ve seen the opposition come out to back the government. That’s very rare, given the opposition we see in Indian politics.

We’ve also seen a surprise visit by the Saudi foreign minister as there are talks of de-escalation efforts being under way.

Retaliation by Pakistan likely to ‘save face’

As people in both India and Pakistan brace for more potential attacks, some analysts say they were fully expecting Pakistani military action to “save face” in response to India’s attacks.

“India’s limited objectives are met,” Happymon Jacob, director of the New Delhi-based think tank Council for Strategic and Defence Research, told AFP news agency.

“Pakistan has a limited objective of ensuring that it carries out a retaliatory strike to save face domestically and internationally. So, that is likely to happen.”

Jacob suggested that, based on past conflicts, he believed it would “likely end in a few iterations of exchange of long-range gunfire or missiles into each other’s territory”.

Airports closed in three main Pakistani cities until evening: Aviation authority

Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad airports “to remain closed until 6pm (13:00 GMT)”, the Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement citing “operational reasons”.