Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has confirmed that national security advisors (NSAs) of Pakistan and India have engaged in communication following New Delhi’s unprovoked missile strikes.
“There has been contact between the two, yes,” he told TRT World in response to a question regarding contact between the NSAs after India’s overnight strikes against Pakistan.
India launched strikes on Pakistan and AJK in the early hours of Wednesday — an assault that Islamabad has denounced as a “blatant act of war” — as tensions escalate between the nuclear-armed rivals following a deadly attack on tourists in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) last month.
Islamabad reported that six Pakistani locations, ranging from mosques to hydropower projects, were targeted in the strikes.
Tragically, at least 31 civilians, including children, were martyred, and 57 others sustained injuries after India launched an unprovoked and devious attack on Pakistan the previous night.
In retaliation, the Pakistan armed forces shot down five Indian Air Force (IAF) jets and seven drones, and destroyed a brigade headquarters along with a number of checkposts along the Line of Control (LoC).
Speaking to TRT World, Dar stated: “India has done something that is not condonable.”
He further added, “The country will decide when and what mode and which form we will react in future.”
He noted that Türkiye was the first country to issue a formal statement condemning India’s aggression.
“This morning after the attack, which was almost past midnight, around 1am, the first call I received was from foreign minister of Türkiye,” Dar recounted.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a telephonic conversation with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and expressed Türkiye’s readiness to “do its utmost to prevent further escalation of tensions” between India and Pakistan.
Erdogan conveyed Türkiye’s solidarity with Pakistan, extended his condolences for the martyrs, and offered prayers for the swift recovery of the injured.
Describing it as “a very supportive statement,” Dar said Erdogan’s words demonstrated that Türkiye is like “a very close brother” to Pakistan.
Dar added that the Turkish ambassador in Islamabad was among the first ambassadors to reach out to him personally and through Pakistan’s Foreign Office following India’s strikes.
“So you can evaluate our brotherhood, our friendship, and closeness,” he emphasized.
The Turkish president expressed support for Pakistan’s “calm and measured approach” to resolving the crisis.
In a separate statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry asserted that the attack by India “created a risk of all-out war” and condemned its “provocative” steps and the targeting of civilians.
“We greatly value our friendship and brotherhood with Türkiye,” Dar affirmed.
In addition to Türkiye, other countries and multilateral organizations such as the United Nations have also called for an early resolution to the military dispute between the two nations.
