Indian foreign secretary accuses Pakistan of ‘disinformation’

Indian foreign secretary accuses Pakistan of ‘disinformation’

Chinese embassy in Nepal advises citizens to avoid Nepal-India border region

Citing the “tense situation between India and Pakistan”, China’s embassy in Nepal has warned its citizens in the country to avoid areas along the Nepal-India border and “strictly guard against misentering Indian territory”.

Posting on its WeChat channel, the Chinese embassy said in a statement that both India and Nepal have stepped up security efforts along their border amid heightened tension in the region.

“The border between Nepal and India is open and the border is not marked … do not mistakenly enter Indian territory with an Indian visa due to personal negligence,” it said.

‘Missiles in skies’: Panic in Indian frontier cities as war clouds gather

Yashraj Sharma, Reporting from New Delhi, India

Aqib Parray was standing at a local shop near his home in Jammu, in Indian-administered Kashmir, when all the lights went out late in the evening on Thursday, May 8. Loud bangs followed.

Panicked, everyone on the streets started rushing home, 24-year-old Parray said. From the terrace of his home, he said, “I saw that the missiles were scattered in the skies.” Then his internet also went off. “We have never seen Jammu like this.”

Two generations of Indians and Pakistanis have not witnessed a fully fledged war, with blackouts and the threat of missiles raining on them even if they are far from any battlefield. In 1999, the nations fought a war over the icy heights of Kargil, but the conflict was contained.

Now, as India and Pakistan edge closer to all-out war, millions of people on both sides are witnessing scenes unprecedented in their lifetimes. They include the 750,000 people of Jammu, and millions more in Indian cities that on Thursday evening came under attack, according to the Indian government.

India orders ports, terminals and shipyards to increase security levels

India has directed all ports, shipping terminals and shipyards to implement increased security measures amid heightened tensions with its neighbour Pakistan, Reuters news agency reports.

The order comes as India suspended civilian flights at 24 airports in the north following fighting with nuclear-armed rival Pakistan.

Nearly 50 people have been killed, mainly in Pakistan, since India launched air strikes on Wednesday targeting “terrorist camps”, leading to the worst clashes between the neighbours in decades.

Some of India’s biggest airlines, including Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet, have cancelled more than 100 flights since Wednesday.

Pakistan seeking to re-establish nuclear deterrence

Pakistan reserves the right to respond to India’s missile attacks in a bid to defend itself and re-establish its nuclear deterrence, former Pakistan Army Brigadier Rashid Wali told Al Jazeera.

“Pakistan was quite stunned that a nuclear power could be so careless,” Wali said.

The former army brigadier said he expected Islamabad’s response to be proportionate and against military targets.

He also argued that Pakistan was confronted with “spurious accusations” after the Pahalgam attack, in which 26 civilians were killed in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22, despite offering its collaboration in an international investigation.

Pakistani minister says de-escalation efforts in India conflict under way

Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif says his government is speaking daily to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and China over efforts to de-escalate the ongoing crisis with India.

Pakistani state media says army shot down 48 drones overnight

The development brings the total number of Indian drones Pakistan claims to have shot down to 77, according to state-owned PTV News.

Security sources told the television channel that Pakistan’s army is giving a befitting response to the Indian aggression.

Indian FM discusses Pakistan conflict with UK counterpart

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar says on X that he had a phone call with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

Discussions centred on “countering terrorism, for which there must be zero-tolerance”, he added.

Concern grows among Indians as tensions boil

Ume Kulsoom Shariff, reporting from New Delhi, India

It’s been a sleepless night for millions of Indians in several cities. Many are concerned about what could happen next and how far things could go between two nuclear neighbours.

For a third night, India and Pakistan have accused each other of carrying out attacks. India says it shot down Pakistani drones and has stopped armed men from crossing the border.

The developments are swift but the mood is also affected by what people see on social media, where fact and fiction merge. There’s a sense of worry, whether it’s in New Delhi or in Bangalore, where mock drills are being conducted.

The air sirens, the blackouts add to the sense of fear that has been growing. There’s also panic buying among those who have been evacuated from the border areas as they don’t know what can happen and when they will be able to go back to their houses.

Why was the IPL suspended?

As we reported earlier, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has decided to suspend matches in light of ongoing hostilities between India and Pakistan.

Devajit Saikia, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), has issued a statement saying that matches will be suspended for one week, and that the body will give further updates as the situation develops.

“While the BCCI reposes full faith in the strength and preparedness of our armed forces, the Board considered it prudent to act in the collective interest of all stakeholders,” the statement reads.

“While cricket remains a national passion, there is nothing greater than the Nation and its sovereignty, integrity, and security of our country. The BCCI remains firmly committed to support all efforts that safeguard India and will always align its decisions in the best interest of the nation."

Pakistan says Azerbaijan expressed ‘solidarity and support’ in phone call

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has expressed “strong solidarity and support for Pakistan” in the wake of India’s attacks, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry has said.

Bayramov spoke by phone with his Pakistani counterpart, Mohammad Ishaq Dar, who also serves as deputy prime minister.

The two leaders agreed to “remain in close contact” and reaffirmed the “strong fraternal ties between the two countries”, the ministry said in a statement on X.

Pakistan says India has brought countries ‘closer to major conflict’

The country’s Foreign Ministry spokesman says India is to blame for bringing the two nuclear-armed neighbours closer to war.

“It is most unfortunate that India’s reckless conduct has brought the two nuclear-armed states closer to a major conflict,” Shafqat Ali Khan said in a press briefing in the capital, Islamabad.

“India’s jingoism and war hysteria should be a source of serious concern for the world.”

Residents of Muridke say mosque was not ‘terrorist’ ground

Osama Bin Javaid, Reporting from Muridke, Pakistan

We’re inside the mosque that has been hit in a series of missile attacks that India launched in the early hours of Wednesday.

The first floor has collapsed and we can see a hole through the roof.

People have been countering the narrative presented by India that this was a training camp for “terrorists”. This area has been under control of the government for the past seven years and has schools, seminaries, and a hospital.

People here want to tell the world that this was not a (terrorist) camp; it was nothing but a mosque and they are upset that the world has stayed silent in the face of India’s attack.

Air raid sirens sound in Ambala in northern India

An air attack warning has been issued by India’s air forces in Ambala, over a possible strike from Pakistan, according to the Indian media.

Sirens were heard across the city at about 10:30am (5:00 GMT), and citizens were urged to stay indoors.

“An air warning has been received from air force station of possible attack. Sirens are being sounded. All are advised to remain indoors and away from balconies,” media reports cited a directive issued.

An order of a complete blackout in the district has also been issued as an additional measure, with all lights to remain switched off between 8pm and 6am.

Former chief minister of Indian-administered Kashmir calls for de-escalation

Mehbooba Mufti, speaking with chief scholar Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, issued a plea for India and Pakistan to step back from the brink of conflict.

“Children, women and the elderly are dying and getting displaced on both sides of the border. There is an urgent need for restraint. The heads of both countries should carefully consider the situation and aim for de-escalation,” Mufti said in Srinagar, according to Indian media outlet The Indian Express.

She said military action only “addresses the symptoms, not the cause of the illness. It does not guarantee a solution or peace.”

Mufti mentioned two children who were killed earlier this week in cross-border shelling in the area. “Likewise, Irtiza Abbas, a 7-year-old killed on the other side of Kashmir. They are all caught in this crossfire. What is their mistake in all of this?” she asked.

Indian military gives update

Vyomika Sing, a spokesperson for the army, has accused Pakistan of using Turkish-made drones in an attack overnight from May 8 to 9 during a press conference

Sing also accused Pakistan of using commercial air traffic as a shield as hostilities continue to heat up.

We will bring you more shortly.

Indian foreign secretary accuses Pakistan of ‘disinformation’

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has slammed Pakistan’s “farcical” response after it denied launching waves of drone and missile attacks.

During a news briefing on India’s Operation Sindoor, Misri said Pakistan also claimed that India was staging attacks on Poonch and Amritsar in an “effort to deceive the world … That we would attack our cities is the kind of deranged statement that only Pakistan could put out.”

The foreign secretary claimed that Pakistan was spreading “disinformation” by stating that India launched a drone attack on the Nankana Sahib gurdwara – a place of assembly and worship in Sikhism – in the Punjab province.