WUZHEN, China: India wants to avoid any “further escalation of the situation” after conducting “pre-emptive” air strikes against militant camps in Pakistani territory, foreign minister Sushma Swaraj said on Wednesday.
The incursion across the cease-fire line that divides Kashmir came after New Delhi threatened retaliation over the February 14 suicide bombing that killed 40 Indian troops, and was claimed by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) group.
Swaraj stressed during talks in China with her counterparts from Beijing and Moscow that “no military installations were targeted” in the air raid, and the target was selected to avoid civilian casualties.
She said the decision was taken “in the light of the continuing refusal of Pakistan to acknowledge and act against terror groups on its territory, and based on credible information that Jaish-e-Mohammed was planning other attacks in... (India).”
“The limited objective of that pre-emptive strike was to act decisively against the terrorist infrastructure of Jaish-e-Mohammed in order to pre-empt another terror attack in India,” Swaraj added.
“India does not wish to see further escalation of this situation. India will continue to act with responsibility and restraint.”
Pakistan denied India’s claim that the attack had inflicted major damage and casualties on militants, calling it “reckless and fictitious” and vowing a response in due course.
The operation is India’s first use of air power on Pakistani soil since the two went to war in 1971.
India says doesn’t want ‘further escalation’ after Pakistan air strikes
India says doesn’t want ‘further escalation’ after Pakistan air strikes
- “No military installations were targeted” in the air raid, Says Sushma Swaraj
- Pakistan denied India’s claim that the attack had inflicted major damage and casualties
Punjab imposes curbs ahead of Basant kite festival’s return after 18-year hiatus
- Basant to be celebrated in Lahore from Feb. 6-8 for first time since 2007, officials say
- Section 144 enforced to bar religious and political imagery on kites amid security concerns
ISLAMABAD: Punjab authorities have enforced Section 144 and imposed strict limits on kite materials and imagery ahead of the Basant kite-flying festival, which is set to return in Lahore next month for the first time since 2007 under tight safety and public-order conditions.
The move comes as the three-day Basant celebration — a traditional spring cultural festival marked by kite flying — is scheduled from Feb. 6 to 8 under the Punjab Kite Flying Act 2025, ending an 18-year hiatus after years of ban amid deadly accidents and safety concerns.
Basant, once a vibrant tradition signaling the arrival of spring with colorful kites and rooftop festivities, was outlawed in the mid-2000s after authorities linked metal-coated kite strings and celebratory gunfire to multiple deaths and injuries.
“A 30-day ban has been imposed under Section 144 on the manufacture, sale, purchase and use of kites bearing religious or political symbols or imagery,” the Punjab Home Department said in a statement.
“Kites displaying the image of any country’s flag or a political party’s flag will also be prohibited,” it added. “The manufacture, transportation, storage, sale and use of kites in violation of these restrictions have been declared punishable offenses.”
Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure allows authorities to impose different kinds of restrictions to maintain public order and safety.
The statement highlighted “concerns that provocative elements could use religious or political symbols during Basant.”
It said that authorities have permitted only plain or multicolored kites during the event.
“The Punjab government has allowed Basant as a recreational festival under a ‘safe Basant’ framework,” the statement added. “No violations of the law will be permitted during Basant.”
