US, Turkiye, Qatar offer mediation

WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD/UNITED NATIONS:

The US, Turkiye and Qatar on Wednesday offered to play their roles in de-escalating the current situation arising out of naked Indian aggression.

US President Donald Trump called for India and Pakistan to immediately halt their fighting, and offered to help end the worst violence between the nuclear-armed countries in two decades.

"It's so terrible," Trump said at the White House. "I get along with both, I know both very well, and I want to see them work it out. I want to see them stop. "They've gone tit-for-tat, so hopefully they can stop now."

"We get along with both countries very well, good relationships with both, and I want to see it stop," Trump said in the Oval Office.

"And if I can do anything to help, I will be there." Trump initially played down the crisis as part of old tensions between India and Pakistan - even saying they had been at odds for 1,500 years, despite the two countries only forming after independence from Britain in 1947.

But his administration has scrambled into action in the last 24 hours since the Indian strikes.

Turkiye

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan telephoned Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to condole the loss of lives of Pakistani citizens caused by Indian missile strikes and assured that Turkiye was ready to play its role as a committed friend of Pakistan.

Reaffirming Turkiye's solidarity with the people of Pakistan, Erdogan said that Turkiye supported de-escalation of the situation and that the Turkish nation was praying for the success of Pakistan's diplomatic initiatives, according to a PM Office press release.

Qatar

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif received a telephone call from Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, and discussed the prevailing situation in the region.

During the conversation, the prime minister of Qatar said that his country wanted to play its role in de-escalating the current situation in the region.

While thanking Qatar for its solidarity and support to Pakistan at this difficult time, the PM Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned India's missile strikes targeting six sites in Pakistan, as an unprovoked act of war.

The Prime Minister of Qatar expressed condolences for the loss of precious lives and appreciated Pakistan's commitment to fostering peace in South Asia.

United Nations

The United Nations renewed its call for "maximum restraint" in the wake of India's missile attacks on parts of Pakistan and Azad Kashmir that took innocent lives, and the Pakistani forceful retaliatory action that silenced the guns.

Responding to questions at a news briefing at UN Headquarters in New York, UN Spokesperson Stephanie Tramblay reiterated that the world cannot afford a military confrontation between the two South Asian neighbours.

Asked whether the UN personnel serving the United Nations Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), which monitors the Line of Control in Kashmir, were safe, she said, "Yes, we checked and everybody was safe." (WITH INPUT FROM AGENCIES)