WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday called on India and Pakistan to “exercise restraint” amid soaring tensions between the two nuclear-armed countries while urging Islamabad to take action against militants.
“We encourage India and Pakistan to exercise restraint, and avoid escalation at any cost,” Pompeo said in a statement after speaking with his counterparts from both countries.
Pompeo said that in talks with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, he stressed “the priority of de-escalating current tensions by avoiding military action, and the urgency of Pakistan taking meaningful action against terrorist groups operating on its soil.”
India said Tuesday that it launched strikes against militant camps in Pakistan — New Delhi’s first use of air strikes on its neighbor’s territory since the two countries went to war in 1971.
Pakistan, while confirming the incursion, denied India’s claim that the attack had inflicted major damage and casualties on militants.
The Tuesday air raid came after India threatened retaliation over the February 14 suicide bombing, claimed by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) group, that killed 40 Indian troops in the Kashmir region.
US urges India, Pakistan to ‘exercise restraint’ — Pompeo
US urges India, Pakistan to ‘exercise restraint’ — Pompeo
- Avoid escalation at any cost, Says Pompeo
- US Secretary of State spoke with his Pakistani and India counterparts
Pakistan, China ink 24 agreements to develop digital corridor for IT cooperation
- Both countries sign one government-to-government, seven government-to-business and 16 business-to-business MoUs
- Digital corridor will create new avenues for Pakistani tech companies, expand cooperation with China in ICT, says state media
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China have signed 24 agreements to develop a digital corridor aimed at enhancing information technology (IT) cooperation between the two states, state-run media reported on Monday.
The memoranda of understanding between the two sides were signed in Beijing, according to the state-owned Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).
The MoUs include one government-to-government, seven government-to-business and 16 business-to-business agreements.
“The initiative focuses on developing an innovative and pragmatic digital corridor to enhance cooperation in the IT industry,” APP reported.
APP said the digital corridor will create new avenues for Pakistani tech companies and expand bilateral cooperation with China in the information and communication technology infrastructure development.
The development is in line with Pakistan’s recent efforts to boost IT exports and enhance digital cooperation with regional allies.
In November, Pakistan highlighted the “Digital Silk Road” as the next major phase of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) while proposing new technology partnerships with Beijing, including joint ventures in 5G/6G, hardware manufacturing and ICT components.
Launched in 2015, CPEC is a multibillion-dollar connectivity program linking western China to the Arabian Sea. The initiative has historically focused on energy projects, highways, power plants and the Gwadar port, with committed investments estimated at around $60 billion.
As the two countries enter CPEC’s second phase, cooperation is expanding beyond physical infrastructure into technology, digital governance, manufacturing and skills development.
The Digital Silk Road is Beijing’s framework for cross-border connectivity in fiber, cloud services, data routing, smart manufacturing and emerging technologies. It is increasingly positioned as the backbone of CPEC’s next stage.
