 "Airbases battered, Pakistan reaches out to India for de-escalation: Report")
After getting its airbases and other military bases hammered, Pakistan has reached out to India for direct talks for de-escalation, CNN News18 TV reported quoting government sources. However, there has been no official confirmation of this yet from either side.
Since last night, India has struck at least three Pakistani airbases that are the mainstay of the country’s air forces. India has also hammered Pakistan’s air defence systems and neutralised key system at major centres like Lahore.
Sources told CNN-News 18’s Manoj Gupta that contact has been established between the directors general of military operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan.
Sources said that Pakistan wants to de-escalate owing to the bad situation in the country.
**Follow our complete coverage of India-Pakistan conflict here**This is the first time that such talks have been arranged since India launched Operation Sindoor, the TV report said. Previously, Pakistan Foreign Minsiter Ishaq Dar had said that the national security advisors (NSAs) of India and Pakistan had been touch, but the military —the true rulers of Pakistan— later rejected the assertion.
The development comes at a time when the United States and Saudi Arabia are engaged in mediation between the two countries.
Since last evening, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has held at least three rounds of talks with Pakistan and two rounds of talks with India. While he has talked to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and Munir in Pakistan, he has been engaging with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the Indian side. Before that, Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir was in Pakistan to hold talks. He went to Paksitan after holding talks in India. Earlier today, Saudi Foreign Minsiter Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud held talks with his Pakistani counterpart.
Impact Shorts
View AllEven though the report for talks has appeared, Pakistan has continued to carry out attacks inside India and take aggressive steps. Sometime back, fresh explosions were heard in Pathankot and cross-border attacks elsewhere have also not stopped.
In yet another sign of escalation, and the most notable one so far, Pakistan has been mobilising ground forces and deploying them to forward areas along the border with India, according to Colonel Sofiya Qureshi of the Indian Army, who has been leading Operation Sindoor’s press briefings.
Since Friday evening, Pakistan has attacked India with drones, missile, and fighter planes across northern and western regions. Pakistan has spiked shelling in Jammu region and attacked military bases at Jammu, Udhampur, Pathankot, and Adampur. Pakistan has also launched long range missile that sources say was intercepted over Haryana. It is understood to have been launched at Delhi.
After such major episodes of escalation, the outreach for talks appear to have been a result of India’s response that has battered critical military installations and international mediation.
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