LONDON: Britain called on Tuesday for calm between Indian and Pakistani communities in London after lawmakers voiced concerns that tensions over a deadly militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir region could spill into the diaspora.
Nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan have taken a raft of measures against each other since the April 22 attack in the popular tourist destination of Pahalgam, which killed 26 people.
Delhi has blamed Islamabad for the violence. Pakistan has denied any role and called for a neutral probe.
Britain is home to one of the world’s biggest Indian and Pakistani communities.
“These issues have long been discussed with passion on British streets and we call on sides, all community leaders, all involved to call for calm at a time of tension in the region,” Foreign office minister Hamish Falconer told parliament.
When Falconer appeared in parliament to answer an urgent question on the situation, lawmakers raised concerns about media reports of ill-tempered protests outside India and Pakistan’s high commissions in London.
Britain updated its travel advice following the attack, advising against all travel to the region of Jammu and Kashmir, with certain exceptions.
The British government’s long-standing position is that India and Pakistan are responsible for finding a solution to the situation in Kashmir that takes into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people, Falconer told parliament.
Britain calls for calm in Indian and Pakistani communities after Kashmir attack
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Britain calls for calm in Indian and Pakistani communities after Kashmir attack
- Nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan have taken a raft of measures against each other, amid tensions soaring since the April 22 attack
- Britain is home to one of the world’s biggest Indian, Pakistani communities who have held ill-tempered protests outside each other’s high commissions
Pakistan military says 13 militants killed in counterterror operations across northwest
- Military says counterterror operations launched in Bajaur, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber and South Waziristan districts
- The counterterror operations take place as Afghanistan and Pakistan remain locked in conflict since late last month
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces this week killed 13 militants in five separate counterterror operations in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the military’s media wing said on Sunday, vowing to eliminate militancy from the country.
The counterterror operations were conducted on Mar. 6-7, with Pakistani troops killing five militants in the northwestern Bajaur district in the first operation. In two other encounters in Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan district, security forces killed three militants belonging to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
Meanwhile, five other militants were killed in two separate counterterror operations in Khyber and South Waziristan districts in which five more militants were slain.
“Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from Indian-sponsored killed khwarij, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area,” ISPR said in a statement.
Pakistan’s military frequently uses the term “Fitna al Khwarij” to describe TTP militants. The militant outfit has carried out some of the deadliest attacks against Pakistani civilians and security forces since 2007 in a bid to impose their strict brand of Islamic law across the country.
Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of sheltering the TTP and facilitating their attacks against Pakistan, a charge Kabul has denied. Pakistan also accuses India of supporting these militant groups, which New Delhi has repeatedly rejected.
The counterterror operations take place as Pakistan remains locked in conflict with Afghanistan since late February.
The worst fighting between the two sides began late last month when Afghan forces launched a surprise attack on Pakistani military installations along their shared border. Afghanistan said the assault was in retaliation for Pakistan’s earlier airstrikes in February on what Islamabad described as militant camps inside Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Saturday that Islamabad has killed 527 Afghan Taliban fighters and injured more than 755 since clashes began.
Afghanistan has also claimed attacking multiple Pakistani military bases and killing several Pakistani soldiers. Arab News has not independently verified the claims by both sides.
Pakistan has ruled out talks with Afghanistan and said it will continue its military operations in the country till it withdraws support for militant groups that Islamabad says operate from Afghanistan.
