ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday reiterated his offer of dialogue to arch-rival India to resolve all outstanding issues, including terrorism, adding that wars are miscalculated and lead to destruction.
His statement follows an incident earlier in the day where the Pakistan Air Force shot down two Indian jets across the Line of Control, or the defacto border between the nuclear-armed neighbors, and captured two pilots in a bid to demonstrate their right, will, and self-defense capabilities.
“Let’s sit together and resolve our problems through dialogue,” the prime minister asked the Indian leadership in a televised address after chairing a high-level meeting of the National Command Authority which oversees Pakistan’s nuclear weapons.
Tensions have dramatically escalated between the nuclear-armed neighbors since Indian fighter jets violated Pakistan’s airspace and struck what New Delhi said was a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) camp in Balakot, in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The JeM claimed responsibility of a suicide bombing in the Pulwama district of Indian-administered Kashmir on February 14 in which more than 40 paramilitary troops were killed.
Prime Minister Khan said that he had “offered peace to India after what happened in Pulwama. I understood the pain of the families (who lost family members in the incident).”
“We offered India our complete cooperation in the investigations, as this is not in Pakistan’s interest to let its soil to be used against any other country,” he said, adding “but I feared that India will do a misadventure due to upcoming elections.”
Referring to the shooting down of the two Indian MiG aircrafts in the morning, Khan said: “No sovereign country can allow violation of its sovereignty. I had told India of retaliation.”
“The sole purpose of our action was to convey that if you can come into our country, we can do the same,” he said, adding that as per the plan “we ensured that no collateral damage or casualty is made [during the retaliation].”
Pakistan and India have fought two full-fledged wars in 1965 and 1971 over the disputed Kashmir region, but the issue continues to remain unresolved and is a flash-point between the two countries.
“It is of utmost important to exercise wisdom and acumen [to avoid the war],” he said, “all wars are miscalculated and no one knows where they lead to.”
Addressing his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, the prime minister said: “With the weapons you have and the weapons we have, can we really afford such a miscalculation.”
Extending the offer of dialogue to India, the premier said: “Better sense should prevail.”
Security and defense analysts have hailed the prime minister’s offer of dialogue to India to de-escalate the dispute with its neighbor.
“It is now up to India whether it engages with Pakistan for dialogue to resolve the issues peacefully or keeps trumpeting the warmongering mantra,” Tahir Malik, an academic and analyst, told Arab News.
Wars are miscalculated, let’s talk: Pakistan PM tells India
Wars are miscalculated, let’s talk: Pakistan PM tells India
- Premier says it is imperative to exercise wisdom and acumen to de-escalate
- Analysts urge India to reciprocate Khan’s offer of peace and dialogue
Pakistan reports first wild polio case of 2026 despite vaccination campaigns
- Four-year-old girl infected in Sindh’s Sujawal district as virus persists in high-risk areas
- Pakistan conducted last nationwide campaign in January, vaccinating over 45 million children
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan reported its first wild poliovirus case of the year, health authorities said on Thursday, underscoring the persistence of the disease in high-risk areas despite ongoing vaccination campaigns.
The latest infection was confirmed in a four-year-old girl in Sujawal district of the southern Sindh province, according to the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health in Islamabad.
Polio is a highly contagious viral disease that can cause permanent paralysis, mainly in children under the age of five. Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where the disease remains endemic.
“The case was reported through the polio surveillance network and confirmed by the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health, Islamabad,” the statement said.
“The Polio Eradication Initiative is already analyzing the best response to tackle and prevent further transmission.”
In 2026, Pakistan conducted a nationwide polio campaign in January that vaccinated more than 45 million children, while the next national campaign is planned for April.
Since 1994, Pakistan has cut polio cases by 99.8 percent through vaccination efforts, reducing infections from an estimated 20,000 in the early 1990s to 31 in 2025.
Pakistan reported 31 polio cases in 2025. Southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounted for more than half of the country’s polio cases in 2025, with 17 of the 31 infections reported from the region.
According to health authorities, 74 cases were reported in 2024.
More than 200 polio workers and police officers assigned to protect polio teams have been killed in Pakistan since the 1990s, according to health and security officials.
Militants often falsely claim the vaccination campaigns are part of a Western plot to sterilize Muslim children.
The vaccination campaigns are also undermined by parental refusals in remote regions.
