Loading At the same time, he said the lack of US condemnation of India's strike on Pakistan is "construed and understood as an endorsement of the Indian position, and that is what emboldened them even more". While experts warned that the clash could easily escalate out of control, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan told his nation Wednesday that he wanted to avoid war with India and urged, "Let's settle this with talks." There was no public statement, however, by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Our action was only intended to convey that if you can come into our country, we can do the same," Khan said, referring to airstrikes by India on Tuesday and Pakistan's response on Wednesday. Addressing India, he said, "With the weapons you have and the weapons we have, can we really afford a miscalculation?" The last two days of air strikes mark the first time in history that two nuclear-armed powers have done so, while ground forces have exchanged fire in more than a dozen locations. Tension has been elevated since a suicide car bombing by Pakistan-based militants in Indian-controlled Kashmir killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary police on February 14, but the risk of conflict rose dramatically on Tuesday when India launched an air strike on what it said was a militant training base. India's attack on Tuesday targeted the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), the group that claimed credit for the suicide attack. India said a large number of JeM fighters had been killed, but Pakistani officials said the strike was a failure and inflicted no casualties. Political pressure Pakistan and India have fought three wars since independence from British colonial rule in 1947, two over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, and went to the brink a fourth in 2002 after a Pakistani militant attack on India's parliament. The latest escalation marks a sudden turnaround in relations between the two countries, that both claim Kashmir in full but rule in part. As recently as November, Pakistan's Khan spoke of "mending ties" with India. The conflict also comes at a critical time for Indian Prime Minster Narendra Modi, who faces a general election in a matter of months. Modi's decision to order air strikes could benefit him politically, according to analysts and pollsters, but he was accused on Wednesday by opposition parties of capitalising on conflict. Pakistani soldiers patrol in the area where Indian planes were reportedly shot down by Pakistani forces. Credit:AP Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticised the "blatant politicisation of the sacrifices made by our armed forces", in a joint statement by 21 opposition parties, the first time they have broken ranks with the government over the issue. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke separately with the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan and urged them to avoid "further military activity" following Tuesday's air strike. "I expressed to both ministers that we encourage India and Pakistan to exercise restraint, and avoid escalation at any cost," Pompeo said in a statement on Wednesday. "I also encouraged both ministers to prioritise direct communication and avoid further military activity," he said. Both China and the European Union have also called for restraint. Loading Aerial battle Many of the facts in the latest series of engagements are disputed by the two sides. Major General Asif Ghafoor, spokesman for the Pakistan armed forces, said two Indian jets had been shot down after they entered Pakistani airspace while responding to a Pakistani aerial mission on targets in Indian-controlled Kashmir. One of the jets crashed on the Indian-controlled side of the de facto border in Kashmir, known as the Line of Control, and the other on the Pakistani side and an Indian pilot had been captured, he said. Ghafoor said the Pakistani aircraft had carried out the strikes in response to India's air strike the day before but had taken deliberate action to ensure no casualties were caused. The Pakistani jets had locked on to six targets, in a demonstration of their capacity to hit strategic installations, but deliberately fired into open spaces where there would be no casualties. "This was not a retaliation in true sense, but to tell Pakistan has capability, we can do it, but we want to be responsible, we don't want an escalation, we don't want a war," Ghafoor told a news conference. One of the aircraft fell on India's side of Kashmir, while the second came down in Pakistani-held territory with a pilot captured, he added. Raveesh Kumar, a spokesman for India's foreign ministry, gave a different account, telling a news briefing that the Pakistan air strikes on military targets had been "foiled". India shot down one Pakistani plane that landed in Pakistani territory, and that it had lost one of its own planes, not two, with the pilot "missing in action", Kumar added. "Pakistan has claimed that he is in their custody. We are ascertaining the facts," Kumar said. Pakistan denies it lost a plane in the encounter. The Indian air force has ordered Kashmir's main airport in Srinagar along with at least three others in neighbouring states to close, an official said. Pakistan shut its airspace, with commercial flights in the country cancelled. Flights from the Middle East and India were also affected. For Australian travellers, the travel advice level on Smartraveller.gov.au has not changed, although an update on the website states that "following a terrorist attack in Kashmir on 14 February and India's military response on 26 February, there is increased tension in the region". In a separate incident, police officials in Indian-occupied Kashmir said that four passengers and a civilian had died after an Indian aircraft crashed in Kashmir. The craft was initially reported by officials to be a plane, but a partial tail number from the craft seen by a Reuters witness showed it to be an Mi17 military helicopter. The cause of the crash was unknown. Civilian fright The aerial engagement followed overnight artillery fire by both sides. Pakistan used heavy calibre weapons in 12 to 15 places along the Line of Control, a spokesman for the Indian defence forces said on Wednesday. "The Indian Army retaliated for effect and our focused fire resulted in severe destruction to five posts and number of casualties," the spokesman said. Five Indian soldiers suffered minor wounds in the shelling that ended on Wednesday morning, he added. "So far there are no (civilian) casualties but there is panic among people," said Rahul Yadav, the deputy commissioner of the Poonch district on the Indian side where some of the shelling took place. "We have an evacuation plan in place and if need arises we will evacuate people to safer areas," he said. Pakistani troops visit the site of an Indian air strike in Jaba, near Balakot, Pakistan, on Tuesday. Pakistan said there were no casualties. Credit:AP Officials on the Pakistani side said at least four people had been killed and seven wounded, including civilians, with thousands evacuated and schools closed in border areas. "Only those families are still here which have concrete bunkers built within or along their homes," said Muhammad Din, a resident of Chakothi, a village in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir near the de facto border. India has also continued its crackdown on suspected militants operating in Kashmir, and on Wednesday security forces killed two Jaish militants in a gun battle, Indian police said.<doc-sep>In a befitting response to Indian aggression, two Indian Air Force fighter jets were shot down by Pakistan for violating airspace on Wednesday, video of which has surfaced online. Indian media reports say that two pilots were killed when a Mig 21 plane crashed in Occupied Kashmir's Budgam District. One of the jets fell in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, while the second one in Indian occupied Kashmir, say the sources. The surprise move came a day after Indian jets intruded into Pakistani airspace and claimed to have attacked a militant camp. There are reports that an Indian pilot had ejected and reportedly been in Pakistani custody.<doc-sep>
ISLAMABAD: Asking its eastern neighbour to exhibit prudence and sanity, Prime Minister Imran Khan Wednesday said Pakistan and India could not afford any miscalculation and dialogue was the only option to address their issues. "I ask India that with same weapon power, can we afford any miscalculation? We cannot, neither I, nor Prime Minister Modi," Imran said in his address to the nation hours after the Pakistan Air Force shot down two MiG-21 aircraft of the Indian Air Force. Indian Mirage 2000 aircraft had on Tuesday crossed the Line of Control and dumped their payload near Balakot before exiting. Taking the nation into confidence in a live televised address, the Prime Minister said, "Better sense should prevail ....we need to sit down to resolve our issues through dialogue." The Prime Minister said it was important for Pakistan and India to exhibit prudence and sanity as all big wars had happened because of miscalculation. Imran Khan said the major world wars were rooted in miscalculation and mentioned the prolonged World War I and II, Vietnam War and the US invasion of Afghanistan that spanned over 17 years. He said Pakistan had repeatedly asked India to cooperate, if they had any evidence on the Pulwama incident. He said despite his assurance, he had the doubt that India would not listen to his advice, keeping in view its forthcoming general election. Khan said he had warned India that Pakistan would be forced to retaliate in case of any misadventure. He said Pakistan had offered India to cooperate, "as it was not in Pakistan's interest to let its soil be used against any other country, and also use of someone else's soil against Pakistan. There is no disagreement on this." Imran Khan said Pakistan was fully prepared, as it had doubts that India would indulge in any misadventure after the Pulwama incident. "India is itself the Judge, Jury and Executor on the Pulwama incident," he said. He said Pakistan did not respond yesterday (Tuesday) as it had to wait for damage assessment, whether there was any casualty or not. The Prime Minister said Pakistan today shot down two Indian Mig-21 fighter aircraft and captured their pilot in its own territory and again asked India to come to the negotiating table.