Russia keeps up Syria bombing as UN urges Aleppo evacuations

MOSCOW: Russia on Thursday said it would press on with a bombing campaign in Syria, ignoring US threats, as the United Nations pleaded for medical evacuations from the war-ravaged city of Aleppo.

Speaking at the UN Security Council, aid chief Stephen O’Brien said that Aleppo had now descended into a “merciless abyss of humanitarian catastrophe unlike any we have witnessed in Syria”.

The United States has threatened to pull the plug on any more talks with Russia if it does not halt the attack on Aleppo as acrimony seethes between the two powers after the collapse of a truce deal.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisted that despite “unconstructive” rhetoric from Washington, Moscow was still interested in seeing the tattered deal, meant to see the US and Russia eventually coordinate strikes on jihadists, work out.

He blamed the surge in violence on Washington’s fail­­­­ure to control rebel groups fighting in Aleppo and insisted that Syrian forces were battling “terrorists”. “Moscow is continuing its air operation to support the anti-terrorist actions of the Syrian armed forces,” he said.

‘Special responsibility’

But Moscow — which has been flying a bombing campaign in support of Assad for a year — was facing fresh calls to help halt the bloodshed in Syria that has claimed some 300,000 lives since 2011.

Assad opponents German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after speaking by phone that Russia has a “special responsibility to calm violence and give a political process a chance” in Syria.

“The latest offensive by the Syrian regime against Aleppo — supported by Russia — has made the suffering of the civilian population yet worse,” the two leaders agreed, according to a statement released by Merkel’s office.

The UN envoy for Syria meanwhile said there was little prospect of an imminent restart of any negotiations to try to end the raging conflict as the violence continues. “At the moment, when bombs are falling all over, it is very difficult to justify resuming talks,” Staffan de Mistura told AFP after he met Pope Francis at the Vatican.

Medical evacuations

In a sign of how desperate the situation is on the ground inside besieged eastern Aleppo, the United Nations warned on Thursday that “probably hundreds” of people needed medical evacuation.

“Utmost on our mind is the need to address the very concerning medical situation” in the east of Aleppo, UN deputy envoy for Syria, Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy, told reporters in Geneva.

“The bombing must stop. Civilians must be protected. And the cessation of hostilities must be restored,” Ramzy insisted.

His comments came a day after two of the largest hospitals in the city’s east were bombed, prompting UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to describe that attack as a war crime.

Dozens of civilians have been killed, residential buildings have been reduced to rubble and residents of east Aleppo are facing severe shortages.

Unicef said at least 96 children have been killed and 223 wounded since Friday in eastern Aleppo.

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Saudi warns of 'disastrous consequences' over US 9/11 law

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has warned of “disastrous consequences” from a United States (US) law allowing 9/11 victims to sue the kingdom, in a major spike in tension between the longstanding allies.

The warning came after the US Congress voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to override US President Barack Obama's veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA).

JASTA allows attack survivors and relatives of terrorism victims to pursue cases against foreign governments in US federal court and to demand compensation if such governments are proven to bear some responsibility for attacks on US soil.

A Saudi foreign ministry source late on Thursday called on the US Congress “to take the necessary measures to counter the disastrous and dangerous consequences” of the law.

The unnamed spokesman, cited by the official Saudi Press Agency, said the law is “a source of great worry.”

This law “weakens the immunity of states”, and will have a negative impact on all countries “including the United States,” the spokesman said, expressing hope that “wisdom will prevail.”

In opposing the law, Obama said it would harm US interests by undermining the principle of sovereign immunity, opening up the US to private lawsuits over its military missions abroad.

The erosion of sovereign immunity is also a concern among the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, of which Saudi Arabia is the most powerful member.

Saudi Arabia's Gulf allies have lined up beside Riyadh to criticise the legislation.

Late on Thursday, United Arab Emirates foreign minister Anwar Gargash described the move as “a dangerous precedent in international law that undermines the principle of sovereign immunity and the future of sovereign investments” in the US.

“The populism surrounding the JASTA law overcame the rationality required in matters of international law and investments,” he tweeted, warning of its “long term and dangerous implications.”

Decades-old ties

A senior Saudi prince reportedly threatened to pull out billions of dollars of US assets if JASTA became law, though Saudi officials have distanced themselves from such threats.

Gargash criticised what he said was “illogical and demagogic” incitement in the US against Saudi Arabia which has “suffered most from extremism and terrorism.”

However, he said reactions should “not be hasty. Easing damage requires focused and joint action.”

The UAE, a US ally in the Gulf, has played a major role alongside Saudi Arabia in its war against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen.

Bahrain, another GCC ally of Riyadh, has also criticised the bill, which it warned will harm the US.

A Saudi newspaper on Friday sent a message to US lawmakers through a headline that played with the letters of “JASTA”.

They “Just Acted Stupidly Toward Allies,” the Arab News said on its front page.

Analysts have warned that Saudi Arabia could reduce valuable security and intelligence cooperation with ally Washington after the Congressional vote.

Riyadh and Washington have a decades-old relationship based on the exchange of American security for Saudi oil.

Yet Saudi Arabia was home to 15 of the 19 Al Qaeda hijackers who carried out the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States which killed nearly 3,000 people.

Riyadh denies any ties to the plotters.

Ties between Riyadh and Washington became increasingly frayed under Obama, but analysts said security cooperation and intelligence sharing remained solid.

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United Nations unable to function in held Kashmir due to India's non-cooperation

UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday regretted the fact that the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) was unable to fully function in held Kashmir due to India’s non-cooperation.

The UN’s military mission is only able to operate on the Pakistani controlled side of the LoC, as India refuses to accept its functioning on the other side and opposes its expansion, said the UN secretary general.

Pakistan's Permanent Representative to UN Dr Maleeha Lodhi, in the meeting with the top diplomat, asked the UN secretary general to ensure that UNMOGIP is able to report facts independently regarding the situation in held Kashmir to the UN Security Council.

Lodhi said during the meeting that Pakistan has exercised maximum restraint but would respond forcefully to any acts of aggression and provocation.

She added that the responsibility for the escalating crisis rests entirely with India.

The UN secretary general urged both Pakistan and India to de-escalate tensions and offered the organisation’s assistance in the matter. He also conveyed condolences on the deaths of two Pakistan Army soldiers.

Ambassador Lodhi said India has, by its declarations and actions, created conditions that pose an imminent threat to regional and International peace and security.

She added that while India’s claim of carrying out a surgical strike across the Line of Control (LoC) was false, India had by its own admission, committed open aggression against Pakistan.

“The international community, and especially the United Nations, should not ignore this grave threat to international peace and security with possibly catastrophic consequences for the entire region,” said Lodhi.

She urged the world’s top diplomat to intervene "boldly and unequivocally by calling on India to halt its aggressive actions and provocations, lest these lead to an even more dangerous situation".

“India has provoked this crisis to divert international attention away from the indigenous Kashmiri uprising against Indian occupation.”

Lodhi also asked Moon to play a role in bringing an end to the human rights violations committed by Indian security forces in held Kashmir.

“If India did not heed this call, the UN's relevant mechanisms, including the Security Council, must be advised of this imminent threat to international peace and security, as required under the UN Charter,” said Pakistan’s permanent representative during the meeting.

Moon also conveyed his dismay at the postponement of the Saarc summit, and said “it could have been a good opportunity for dialogue”.

Earlier, Lodhi met president of the UN Security Council, Gerard van Bohemen of New Zealand, and urged him to informally brief the 15-member body on her country's dangerous escalation in tensions resulting from unprovoked firing by Indian troops across the LoC.

Urgent steps were needed to avert a full-blown crisis, she said.

Soaring tensions

In one of the worst episodes of cross-border firing along the Line of Control, at least two Pakistan Army soldiers were killed as Indian troops opened fire on the first line of defence.

India also claimed to have performed a surgical strike by crossing the disputed boundary. The Indian claims were rubbished by Pakistan Army.

Also read: India steps up drive against Pakistan

Later it emerged that an Indian soldier was captured by the Pakistan army, while Indian soldiers were also killed in the episode of firing across the LoC.

An Indian army official based in New Delhi said, “It is confirmed one soldier from 37 Rashtriya Rifles with weapons has inadvertently crossed over to the Pakistan side of the Line of Control”.

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Turkey closes 20 TV and radio stations in post-coup emergency decree

ISTANBUL: Turkey has ordered the closure of 20 television and radio stations, including one that airs children's programmes, on charges they spread “terrorist propaganda”, adding to fears that emergency rule is being used to stifle the media.

An official at the Radio and Television Supreme Council, the state watchdog, confirmed 20 stations were being closed.

President Tayyip Erdogan has said he wants a three-month state of emergency, imposed after a failed coup attempt in July, to be prolonged past October so authorities can eradicate the threat posed by a religious movement blamed for the attempt, as well as Kurdish militants who have waged a 32-year insurgency.

The banned channels are owned or operated by Kurds or the Alevi religious minority, according to Hamza Aktan, news editor at IMC TV, a news broadcaster slated for closure. He cited a copy of the decision obtained by his channel, which was based on powers given the government in a decree issued in July.

Aktan and other IMC staff continued airing segments on Friday while waiting for police to arrive at their offices. Other stations on the closure list were raided and sealed off on Thursday, newspapers and CPJ said.

IMC, founded in 2011, has faced other punitive measures. In February, its satellite feed was cut while prosecutors investigate if it supports the PKK.

Aktan denied any links between IMC and the militants, citing the channel's principles of objectivity.

“This has nothing to do with the coup. It is an effort to silence the last independent media covering the Kurdish issue and violations committed by the state,” Aktan told Reuters.

IMC has aired reports looking at security forces' conduct during 14 months of military operations against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) that has killed thousands.

Among the 12 shuttered television channels are Govend TV, which plays folk music, and Zarok TV, which airs Kurdish-language children's cartoons.

“Turkey is targeting a wide swath of cultural and political expression by shuttering minority broadcasters,” said Robert Mahoney from the Committee to Protect Journalists.

“When the government sees even children's programming as a threat to national security, it is clearly abusing its emergency powers,” he added.

Erdogan argues the state of emergency is helping authorities swiftly root out supporters of the military uprising by bypassing parliament to enact laws and suspend rights.

Turkey blames U.S.-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen for masterminding the coup in which 240 soldiers, police and civilians were killed trying to stop rogue troops who had commandeered fighter jets and tanks to bomb parliament and shoot protesters. Another 100 people behind the putsch were killed.

Some 100,000 state employees suspected of links with the Gulen movement have been purged, and 32,000 people are in jail for their alleged role in the coup. However, Gulen denies any involvement in the coup attempt.

Authorities have also targeted the media, arresting dozens of members of the press to make Turkey the world's biggest jailer of journalists and shutting down scores of media outlets.

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Will not let govt function if Nawaz doesn't present himself for accountability

RAIWIND: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan, while addressing the much-hyped public gathering at Raiwind, said PTI will not let the government function after Muharram if Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif fails to present himself for accountability.

Imran was addressing thousands of PTI supporters gathered at Adda Plot in Raiwind.

The PTI chief said the incumbent leaders have lost their conscience and claimed that more than Rs8 billion has been spent for the security of Jati Umra, residence of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

"Nawaz Sharif was caught red handed in the Panama leaks issue, and he is accused of laundering money," claimed Imran.

He questioned NAB Chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry for not carrying out proper investigations against Nawaz after the offshore accounts were revealed.

The PTI chief also threatened to shut down Islamabad after Muharram if the prime minister did not present himself for accountability by then.

"Then I will announce the future line of action," he said.

A view of PTI Raiwind March against Panama papers leak. —Online

PTI condemns Indian atrocities in Kashmir

The leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf also strongly condemned the recent atrocities committed by Indian forces in held Kashmir against the innocent and unarmed Kashmiris.

Imran Khan and PTI lawmaker Arif Alvi said that local residents are facing real hardships in India.

The PTI chief said that he believes in peace, not war. "Nations equipped with nuclear weapons should not be thinking of war."

He added that India's intelligence agency [RAW] is responsible for the unstable law and order situation in Karachi.

“Pakistan will continue to support the cause of the Kashmiri people till they get their right of self-determination,” said Arif Alvi.

Senior party leaders including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Abdul Aleem Khan were present at the gathering.

Thousands of PTI supporters from different parts of the country had gathered at Adda Plot on Raiwind Road on Friday to protest against the incumbent government.

A 40-feet-high stage was erected and seating arrangements were made at Adda Plot — close to the prime minister’s Jati Umra residence.

The PTI supporters came in great numbers to participate in the “accountability movement” seen by many as a “do-or-die” act of Imran Khan.

The party had appealed to its workers from all over the province to gather at the Adda Plot in Raiwind. A large number of of female supporters also attended the gathering.

Around 7,000 policemen were deployed for the security of Raiwind march.

The rally was organised by the PTI to put pressure Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family to explain their position over “proof of their corruption” published in the Panama Papers some six months ago.

The PTI urged Nawaz Sharif to present himself for accountability in the Panama leaks scandal.

Earlier in the day, PML-N workers had staged a protest in Peshawar. "Instead of worrying about his political success, Imran Khan should worry about the defence of the country," said a PML-N worker taking part in the protest.

"If he had gone to Wagah border instead of marching to Raiwind, we would have accompanied him," he added.

The protesters said Nawaz Sharif has guided the country onto the path of success. They added that instead of putting hurdles in the way of success, Imran Khan should focus on the problems being faced by people in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

The N-League workers stressed "the country is in need of some serious politics".

Nawaz Sharif was one of the 259 Pakistani citizens who's names appeared on a list linking them to off-shore companies in one of the world’s biggest ever data leaks, earlier this year.

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BCCI requests ICC not to put Pakistan, India in same pool of global events

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Anurag Thakur has requested the International Cricket Council (ICC) to not place India and Pakistan in the same group during upcoming international events.

"Keeping in mind that the [Indian] government has adopted a new strategy to isolate Pakistan and in view of the public sentiment in the country, we request ICC not to put India and Pakistan in the same pool of the multi-nation tournaments," the BCCI president told Times of India.

The decision was taken on the sidelines of the BCCI's Special General Meeting held on Friday.

Thakur's statement comes in the wake of soaring tensions between the two neighbouring countries which led to India's unprovoked firing at the Line of Control on Thursday, to which Pakistan Army retaliated in a befitting manner and captured one Indian soldier and killed eight others.

Because of the high viewership that Indo-Pak matches garner, the ICC has placed the two teams in the same pools over the years. The next ICC event, ICC Champions Trophy to be held in England next year, will also see the two teams contest each other at pool stage.

The arch-rivals last played during the ICC World T20 earlier this year that saw hosts India beat Pakistan by six wickets.

The two teams have not competed in the Test format since Pakistan's tour of India in 2007. There's been no bi-lateral series between the cricketing giants since, save Pakistan's visit of India in 2012 for two T20Is and three One-Day Internationals.

It is worth mentioning that this is not the first instance that Thakur, who is associated with the hard-line Bharatya Janata Party (BJP), has taken such a route.

After the Uri attack that saw 18 Indian soldiers being killed by the militants, Thakur was reported by the Indian media as saying that there is no question of playing Pakistan as India's policy is to expose their support of terrorists activities at the international level.

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Saudi allies reject 'controversial' US bill, fear it will have 'strategic implications'

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia could reduce valuable security and intelligence cooperation with longstanding ally Washington after a Congressional “stab in the back” allowing 9/11 victims to sue the kingdom, experts warn.

Cutting such cooperation is among the options available to Riyadh after Congress voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to override President Barack Obama's veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA).

“I am afraid that this bill will have dire strategic implications” for the United States, Salman al-Ansari, the president of the Saudi American Public Relation Affairs Committee (SAPRAC), told AFP.

“This partnership has helped provide US authorities with accurate intelligence information” that helped stopped attacks, said Ansari.

“Saudi has been stabbed in the back by this unthoughtful and unrealistic bill,” he added.

United Arab Emirates (UAE) Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan warned before the vote that the law “will have negative effects on international cooperation in the fight against terrorism.”

Bahrain's Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa said on Twitter on Thursday that the law “is an arrow launched by the US Congress at its own country”.

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Mustafa Alani, a senior adviser to the Gulf Research Center, suggested a review of the Saudi-US alliance and said “How can you sue a country that is collaborating against the very same terrorism that they are baselessly being accused of?”.

“Your financial investments have to be reduced in the US, your political and security cooperation has to be reduced,” he added.

Saudi Arabia was home to 15 of the 19 Al-Qaeda hijackers who carried out the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States which killed nearly 3,000 people.

Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) was initially rebuked by the US president. The US Senate voted to override Barack Obama's veto of a bill allowing 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia, the first such rebuke of his eight-year presidency.

Also read: US Senate votes to override Obama's 9/11 bill veto to sue Saudi Arabia

“It will be very difficult for Saudi Arabia to continue in intelligence cooperation when they take such a hostile position,” said Jamal Khashoggi, a veteran Saudi journalist and analyst.

He said Saudi officials are probably debating whether to act now or “wait until the first suit is filed in some small town in America”.

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US urges India, Pakistan to exercise restraint

WASHINGTON: The United States reminded India and Pakistan on Thursday that nuclear capable states do not threaten to use atomic weapons in any conflict.

The US government also categorically said that it considered the Sept 18 attack on an Indian military facility in Uri a terrorist attack.

The warning to avoid a nuclear conflict followed reports in the international media that both Indian and Pakistani governments had intensified their rhetoric and hinted at the possibility of nuclear military actions against each other.

“Nuclear-capable states have the responsibility to exercise restraint regarding nuclear weapons and missile capabilities,” a spokesperson for the US State Department told Dawn when asked to comment on these reports.

“Let’s be clear – the attack against the Uri army brigade headquarters was a terrorist attack, and we have strongly condemned it,” said the US official when responding to a series of questions from Dawn on the current situation along the Line of Control.

“We have seen the reports and are following the situation closely,” said the US official without confirming or denying if India had indeed carried out surgical strikes inside Azad Kashmir. “We urge calm and restraint on both sides. We understand that the Indian and Pakistani militaries have been in communication, and we believe continued communication is important to reduce tensions,” the official added.

While referring to cross-LoC attacks inside India-held Kashmir, the State Department official called the Uri incident a terrorist attack.

“We have repeatedly expressed our concerns regarding the danger that cross-border terrorism poses to the region, including the recent attack in Uri,” the official said.

“We continue to urge actions to combat and de-legitimise terrorist groups like Lakshar-e-Taiba, Haqqani network, and Jaish-i-Mohammed.”

The spokesperson said that US Secretary of State John Kerry spoke to Indian Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday and reiterated his strong condemnation of the Uri attack. “He condemned terrorism in all its forms, and cautioned against escalation of tensions.”

Responding to another question on the broader issue of Kashmir, the US official said: “The pace, scope, and character of any discussions on Kashmir is for India and Pakistan to determine. We support any and all positive steps by India and Pakistan to resolve their disputes.”

Earlier in the day, the White House too called the Uri incident a cross-border attack and urged Islamabad to combat and delegitimise Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and their affiliates.

US National Security Adviser Susan E. Rice made the demand in a telephone call to her Indian counterpart Ajit Doval on Wednesday for condemning the Uri attack.

India claims Pakistan-based militants carried out the attack. Pakistan rejects the charge as baseless and claims that India stage-managed the incident to discredit a popular uprising in the Valley. Indian troops have killed more than 100 protesters, blinded hundreds and injured more than 10,000 in a brutal crackdown on Kashmiri protesters.

In her call to Mr Doval, Ambassador Rice “strongly condemned the Sept 18 cross-border attack on the Indian army brigade headquarters in Uri” and offered condolences to the victims and their families, said Ned Price, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council.

Ambassador Rice also affirmed President Barack Obama’s commitment to redouble US efforts to bring to justice the perpetrators of terrorism throughout the world, Mr Price said.

“Highlighting the danger that cross-border terrorism poses to the region, Ambassador Rice reiterated our expectation that Pakistan take effective action to combat and delegitimise UN-designated terrorist individuals and entities, including Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and their affiliates,” Mr Price said in a statement.

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Pakistan captures one Indian soldier at LoC, several others killed

MUZAFFARABAD: An Indian soldier has been captured by the Pakistan army, while Indian soldiers have also been killed in the episode of firing across the Line of Control, it emerged Thursday.

Confusion over the capture of the soldier persists as neither Indian nor Pakistani officials are issuing any official statements on the matter, as yet.

Avoiding connecting the capture to today's firing incident, he said such incidents of people including civilians crossing the frontier by mistake have happened in the past from both sides.

Building a case in favour of India, he added that those who strayed are returned.

“Pakistan has been informed [of the soldier's crossing] through the DGMO on hotline,” ANI News quoted Indian Army sources as saying.

Pakistan’s envoy confirms arrest of Indian soldier

Pakistan's Ambassador to the United Nations Dr Maleeha Lodhi, while talking to Al Jazeera, confirmed that Pakistan Army has "captured an Indian soldier who was trying to enter” into Pakistani territory.

Lodhi, however, denied that there was any surgical strike inside the territory of Pakistan, as claimed by the Indian forces.

“India is trying to divert global attention from the war crimes it is committing in occupied Kashmir, where more than a 100 people have been killed in cold-blood by Indian forces,” said the Pakistan's ambassador.

She said that India is trying to provoke a conflict with Pakistan to calm its domestic opinion, because even India’s domestic opinion is questioning its role in Kashmir. “My country [Pakistan] has exercised maximum restraint in the face of what happened in the early hours of Thursday.”

“What we saw on Thursday was cross border shelling, by mortar fire as well as small arms fire. We have captured one Indian soldier who was trying to cross while two Pakistani soldiers were martyred in cross border shelling. But there was no surgical strike inside territory controlled by Pakistan.”

“It is very irresponsible of India to act this way. We want the international community to urge restraint upon India,” she maintained.

Also read: What is a 'surgical strike'?

On Pakistan's side, two officials based in Chhamb sector said the Indian soldier with weapons was captured at 1330 local time on Thursday.

Separately, security sources confirmed the same to Dawn.com. The sources said a 22-year-old Indian soldier by the name Chandu Babulal Chohan was taken into custody by Pakistani forces.

They added that at least eight Indian soldiers were killed. The bodies of the Indian soldiers have not been recovered by the Indian Army from the site of the skirmishes at the LoC. Security sources claim an attempt to recover the bodies by the Indian Army has not been made yet as they fear coming under fire from Pakistan Army troops.

In his show Capital Talk on Geo News, Hamid Mir said that 14 Indian soldiers were killed in two sectors. Defense analyst Major General (Retd) Ijaz Awan, who was on his show, confirmed his claim.

Early morning firing

An exchange of fire between Pakistani and Indian LoC troops began at 2:30am and continued till 8:00am in the Bhimber, Hotspring, Kel and Lipa sectors in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the ISPR statement said.

"Pakistani troops befittingly responded to Indian unprovoked firing on the LoC."

Shortly after the exchange of fire, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Defence held a joint press conference in New Delhi in which DGMO Lt Gen Ranbir Singh alleged that surgical strikes were conducted by the Indian army on "terror launch pads along the LoC". The strikes will not continue, he said.

The Indian DGMO claimed that "some terrorist teams had positioned themselves at launchpads along the Line of Control".

"The Indian army conducted surgical strikes last night at these launchpads. Significant casualties have been caused to these terrorists and those who are trying to support them... The operations aimed at neutralising the terrorists have since ceased."

Pakistan rubbished the Indian claims of conducting a surgical strike.

"The notion of surgical strike linked to alleged terrorists bases is an illusion being deliberately generated by Indian to create false effects," a military statement said.

"This quest by the Indian establishment to create media hype by rebranding cross-border fire as a surgical strike is fabrication of the truth. Pakistan has made it clear that if there is a surgical strike on Pakistani soil, the same will be strongly responded."

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) said Pakistan’s airspace would be safeguarded at any cost. "PAF is always alert and ready to issue a befitting response to foreign aggression," a spokesperson said.

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