Category: World

Need a peaceful not military solution for Kashmir: Erna Solberg Norway Prime Minister

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Norway Prime Minister Erna Solberg on Monday batted for a peaceful approach to resolving the Kashmir conflict and reducing tensions between India and Pakistan. Asked if a military solution is possible in Kashmir, Solberg said, “I personally don’t believe that military solutions solve problems. I believe in peaceful solutions. I believe in participation of women, youth and peace negotiators. “You can have victory through military solutions but you will have underlying activities. It is not just in Kashmir, but in all places in the world. We see it in Syria.”…

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We were close to war: Asif Ghafoor

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Pakistan Wednesday said the ball is now in India’s court following Islamabad’s “peace gesture” of releasing an Indian Air Force pilot but warned that the situation will “go bad” if New Delhi decides to opt for further escalation. The remarks were made by Asif Ghafoor, the director general of Pakistan army’s media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), to CNN. Tensions between the two neighbours heightened following the February 14 Kashmir suicide bombing that killed 40 CRPF personnel which was claimed by the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). India retaliated by bombing JeM’s biggest…

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Nobel laureates urge Imran, Modi to defuse tensions

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Fifty nine Nobel laureates have written letters to the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan urging them to “defuse the rising tensions” between the two countries, according to a statement.A letter signed by the Nobel laureates, under the aegis of the Laureates and Leaders for Children — a platform founded by Nobel peace laureate Kailash Satyarthi — was submitted to India and Pakistan’s Permanent Representatives to the UN on Saturday, the statement said on Sunday. “In the best interest of our children, we, the Laureates and Leaders for Children call…

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Questions arise about ‘Vintage Military’ after India loses Dogfight to Pakistan

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It was an inauspicious moment for a military the United States is banking on to help keep an expanding China in check. An Indian Air Force pilot found himself in a dogfight last week with a warplane from the Pakistani Air Force, and ended up a prisoner behind enemy lines for a brief time. The pilot made it home in one piece, however bruised and shaken, but the plane, an aging Soviet-era MiG-21, was less lucky. The aerial clash, the first by the South Asian rivals in nearly five decades,…

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Imran Khan Vs Narendra Modi: Who won the war of perception?

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With the release of the Indian pilot captured by Pakistan, tensions between the two nuclear-armed countries over the attack in Kashmir are expected to abate. So who won the battle of perception during the crisis? On Thursday afternoon Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan announced in parliament that Pakistan would release the captured Indian pilot as a “peace gesture”. In Delhi, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was addressing a meeting of scientists. Moments after Mr Khan’s remarks, he responded with a sarcastic broadside against Pakistan, saying that a “pilot project had…

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‘Killing 300 militants inside Pakistan’, International media questions Indian claims

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India claimed it killed 300 odd Jaish militants in an air-strike inside Pakistan. Several international media outlets found these claims untrue and reported no significant damage. On Tuesday morning, news blared across Indian TV studios that India has successfully carried out air-strikes against Jaish e Mohammad (JeM) training camps in Pakistan saying, “a very large  number of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commanders and groups of jihadis who were being trained for [suicide] action were eliminated.” Pakistan, however, denied that any casualties had taken place. Sections of Indian media quoted Indian officials…

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In brewing Kashmir Crisis, India and Pakistan brace themselves for new turbulence

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India’s air strikes and Pakistan’s response are a major shift in the India-Pakistan conflict, says Priya Chacko, lecturer at the University of Adelaide. On Tuesday, India launched air strikes targeting what it claimed was the biggest training camp of the militant group, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) near the town of Balakot in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The strikes were said to be aimed at preventing an imminent attack on India and succeeded in killing hundreds of militants. Earlier this month, the JeM claimed responsibility for an attack that killed 40…

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Kashmir Crisis is causing chaos for air travel across the ​globe

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Escalating tensions in and around Kashmir between Pakistan and India has led to chaos in the skies with passenger services to Europe cancelled and flights diverted. Numerous planes have been forced to avoid Pakistan following the closure of its airspace after two Indian military jets were shot down, meaning routes that would ordinarily take around two hours are now lasting longer than five. British Airways, Air India and Singapore Airlines are among those airlines forced to reroute services that would normally fly over northern India, with many forced to make…

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Ready to return IAF pilot if it leads to ‘De-escalation’; Pakistan, No deal on IAF pilot captured by Pak, return him immediately; India

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Pakistan would be prepared to return the captured Indian Air Force pilot if it helped ease the crisis with India, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told in an interview to Geo TV on Thursday. “If there is de-escalation with the return of this [Indian] pilot, Pakistan is willing to consider this. We are ready for all positive engagement,” Qureshi said in the interview. He said Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is ready to talk to Indian PM Narendra Modi over telephone and “extend an invitation of peace”. (Follow live updates)…

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2 IAF Jets shot down by Pakistan, One pilot held

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Pakistan has said its air force shot down two Indian fighter jets on Wednesday morning and claims to have captured two Indian Air Force pilots. Pakistan’s military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said one of the pilots is in hospital. The Pakistan Army has also released a video that shows a blindfolded man, identifying himself as a Wing Commander-rank IAF officer and his service number. Then, he asks, “Am I with the Pakistani Army”. Indian officials have confirmed the possibility of pilots being held by Pakistan. The captured IAF pilot is…

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