"I am requesting the Indian despensation to not escalate [military action] from this point. Because then we will be forced to respond and retaliate, and that will not be a happy situation for both nations," Imran Khan says.
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16:38 PM IST: Imran Khan says IAF pilot will be released tomorrow
16:36 PM IST: 'Request India to not escalate military action'
"I am requesting the Indian despensation to not escalate [military action] from this point. Because then we will be forced to respond and retaliate, and that will not be a happy situation for both nations," Imran Khan says.
16:33 PM IST: Imran Khan says tried speaking to PM Modi, still trying
Imran Khan says he tried to Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday, but could not. He says he is still trying.
Full coverage: India-Pakistan tensions
16:32 PM IST: 'We should not even think of wars'
"The Indian media has not seen what he have been through. Otherwise, they would have known warmongering and war-hysteria are of no consequence to anybody. And with the warfare we have and India has, we should not even think of wars," Imran Khan says.
16:30 PM IST: Imran Khan praises Pakistani media
"I want to thank the Pakistani media for showing restraint while reporting the whole episode. They know what warmongering does to nations," Imran Khan praises Pakistani media.
16:28 PM IST: 'Yeh saara maslaa Kashmir ki wajah se hai'
"Hindustan ki aawaam se main poochhna chahta hoon ki unhein apni hukoomat se poochhna nahin chahiye ki kya wajah hai ki 19 saal ka eik Kashmiri kyun apne aap ko human bomb banaata hai?" the Pakistan prime minister asks.
16:26 PM IST: Imran Khan address Pakistan's National Assembly
15:34 PM IST: Ceasefire violation in Rajouri
Fresh ceasefire violation was reported this afternoon from the Rajouri sector of the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. The firing reportedly began at 2:15 pm and was being responded to.
15:11 PM IST: India says want immediate and unconditional return of IAF pilot
India has not asked for consular access to the IAF pilot captured by Pakistan, and is insisting on his unconditional and immediate return, government sources said on Thursday. They asserted that there was no question of any deal on the return of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman. The sources said Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has to walk the talk on investigating the February 14 Pulwama attack and that India wants immediate, credible and verifiable action against terrorists and their proxies. "India has not asked for any consular access to the IAF pilot. We want him back immediately," a source said. "The IAF pilot has to be repatriated unconditionally and immediately. There is no question of any deal," he said.
15:03 PM IST: Won't hesitate to meet Sushma Swaraj - Pakistan foreign minister
According to news agency ANI, Pakistan Foreign Minister SM Qureshi said he "will not hesitate" to meet External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on the sidelines of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation meet. Qureshi however said though he will not hesitate to meet Swaraj, but OIC is not the forum for talks with her. ANI attributed the news to Pakistan's Geo TV.
14:53 PM IST: Meanwhile, sources in the government said there is no change in the schedule of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj who will take part in the meeting of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in the UAE.
14:49 PM IST: Pakistan has reportedly decided to open its airspace for commercial operations. Meanwhile, Pakistan foregn ministry said it will take the United Nations Military Observer Group to Balakot where airstrikes were carried out by India on February 26.
14:32 PM IST: Willing to release Indian pilot - Pakistan
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has reportedly said Pakistan is willing to consider returning Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman if it leads to de-escalation of ties with India. Qureshi was quoted as saying this by Geo News, a Pakistani news organisation. Speaking to Geo News, the foreign minister said, "India handed over a dossier to the acting High Commissioner of Pakistan a day earlier and we will examine it. I will evaluate the dossier with an open heart and then see if talks will be held on that. We are willing to return the captured Indian pilot if it leads to de-escalation." The foreign minister further said, "Prime Minister Imran Khan is ready to hold a telephonic conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi."
14:11 PM IST: Decision on status of Indian pilot in a few days - Pakistan
Pakistan has claimed that the Indian pilot held captive is safe and healthy. Pakistani media has claimed that Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal said that India has raised the matter of the pilot with us. "We'll decide in a couple of days what convention will apply to him and whether to give him Prisoner of War status or not," Dr Faisal said.
13:59 PM IST: No live telecast of joint press conference by Army, Air Force and Navy
There will be no live telecast of the joint press conference which is scheduled to be held at 5pm today. Mobile phones are also not allowed in the briefing.
13:55 PM IST: Navy also part of joint press brief
Officials of the Navy to also join the joint press conference at 5pm.
13:25 PM IST: Pakistan violates ceasefire along LoC in Krishna Ghati
Pakistan violated ceasefire at 1pm along the Line of Control in Krishna Ghati sector of Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district. Indian Army retaliated effectively, ANI said.
13:24 PM IST: Booth workers have to work harder for elections: Modi
PM Narendra Modi said the role of all BJP booth managers is important because they communicate the work done by the government. Speaking about the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, he said the role of the booth workers is important and they will now have to work harder because it is "exam time for the governmnet".
13:17 PM IST: Army-Air Force joint press conference at 5pm
The Indian Army and Indian Air Force will hold a joint press conference at 5pm today.
13:04 PM IST: Posted by Mukesh Rawat Attractive news coming from India, Pakistan: Donald Trump
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump in a statement has said there is some"reasonably attractive" news coming from Indian and Pakistan. He indicated that the news may be about an end to the ongoing hostilities. "We have I think reasonably attractive news from Pakistan and India. We have been going out and we have been involved in trying to have them stop...we have some reasonably decent news and I think it is going to end...it has been going on for a long time," Donald Trump said.
12:54 PM IST: India will live as one, fight as one: PM Modi
PM Modi said: "India will live as one; India will work as one; India will grow as one; India will fight as one."
12:50 PM IST: Addressing lakhs of BJP workers via video conferencing, Prime Minister said, "When the enemy tries to destabilise India, then one of their motives is to ensure that India's development is stalled. We must show that the nation will not stop. Our soldiers are defending our borders. We must also work like soldiers and continue our work. We must all continue working in the nation's development."
12:41 PM IST: Don't let enemy point fingers at us: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it is important to ensure that nothing is done that weakens the morale of our soldiers. He said: "We must ensure that our enemy should not get a chance to point fingers at us." His comments comes a day after Pakistan claimed that one Indian pilot is in its captivity.
12:13 PM IST: Australia asks India, Pakistan to exercise restraint
Australia has once again urged India and Pakistan to "exercise restraint" and avoid further military action, saying the cycle of escalation is "very dangerous" for all.
Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne, who was in London on Wednesday, said that she was very concerned about the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack.
"I was hearing very serious reports about an escalation of the conflict between Pakistan and India. I am very concerned about those.
"If those reports are correct, we would certainly urge both sides to exercise restraint and to avoid further military action... this is a dangerous cycle of escalation," she said.
12:10 PM IST: PM Modi to chair CCS meet today evening
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to take place on Thursday evening to review the situation as tension escalated between India and Pakistan.
A cabinet meeting is also slated for 6.30 p.m. Both meetings are scheduled to take place at the Prime Minister's residence.
Sources said that the CCS at the 7, Lok Kalyan Marg will discuss steps to bring back an Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot, who was captured by Pakistan on Wednesday.
12:02 PM IST: Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman will hold a meeting with the three service chiefs shortly. The defence minister will also visit border in Jammu and Kashmir tomorrow.
11:01 AM IST: Airfrare skyrocket amid India-Pakistan tensions
Air tickets for the Delhi-Mumbai route have skyrocketed amid ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan. On Wednesday, many airports in North India, including Srinagar, Chandigarh, Leh, Amritsar, Dehradun and others were temporarily shut. In Pakistan, the airspace continues to remain suspended for commercial operations today.
10:20 AM IST: Canada urges India, Pakistan to engage in dialogue
Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland has urged India and Pakistan to exercise maximum restraint to avoid any further military escalation over rising tensions between the two countries. In a statement issued Wednesday afternoon, Freeland said that "Canada is gravely concerned about rising tensions between India and Pakistan", Xinhua news agency reported. "Dialogue between India and Pakistan is needed to identify a durable diplomatic solution and maintain peace and security in the region," the minister said.
10:01 AM IST: Pakistan suspends Samjhauta Express service until further notice
Authorities in Pakistan on Thursday suspended operations of the Samjhauta Express in wake of rising tensions with India. The train which runs between Lahore and Atari was scheduled to depart today (Thursday) at 8AM. Additional General Manager Pakistan Railways said the decision to suspend the train service was taken to avert any untoward incident in light of heightened security concerns.
09:05 AM IST: India will not keep quiet: Indian ambassador to US
India's Ambassador to the US, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, has said that India will not keep quiet to any act of terrorism and giving "appropriate response" to all terrorism incidents is the new normal for the country, news agency PTI has said in a report.
08:56 AM IST: The US, the UK and France have moved a fresh proposal in the UN Security Council to designate Pakistan-based terror group JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, a listing that will subject him to global travel ban, asset freeze and arms embargo. The fresh proposal was moved Wednesday by the three permanent veto-wielding members of the 15-nation Security Council. The Security Council Sanctions Committee will have 10 working days to consider the fresh proposal submitted by the three members. The proposal is the fourth such bid at the UN in the last 10 years to list Azhar as a global terrorist.
08:45 AM IST: The United States of America has called on India and Pakistan to cease all cross-border military activity and return to stability. It said it urges both sides to take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation, including direct communication. Further military activity will exacerbate situation, news agency ANI reported.
08:38 AM IST: UN chief holds talks with different parties
UN chief holds talks with different parties United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has urged India and Pakistan to refrain from talking escalating tensions between the two countries. The UN chief is also holding discussions at different levels with different parties about the prevailing tensions between Indian and Pakistan. The United Nations said these talks were to make sure that it has a full picture of the situation.