STORY
The United Kingdom has called for immediate de-escalation and direct dialogue between India and Pakistan after a series of military strikes and retaliations have brought the nuclear-armed neighbours to their most volatile point in decades. The crisis erupted after India launched “Operation Sindoor,” a series of air and missile strikes targeting what it described as terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The strikes were in response to a deadly terrorist attack on 22 April in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, which killed 26 people, mostly Indian tourists. India attributed the attack to Pakistan-based militant groups, including Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.
Pakistan condemned the Indian strikes as an “unprovoked and unjustified” act of war, reporting at least 26 civilian deaths and 45 injuries. In retaliation, Pakistan claimed to have shot down five Indian aircraft and launched its own strikes, reportedly destroying an Indian army brigade headquarters. The situation has led to intensified cross-border shelling, civilian evacuations, and the closure of Pakistani airspace to Indian airlines. The Foreign Secretary David Lammy expressed “serious concern” over the escalating conflict, urging both nations to show restraint and engage in direct dialogue. “Current tensions between India and Pakistan are a serious concern. The UK government is urging India and Pakistan to show restraint and engage in direct dialogue to find a swift, diplomatic path forward” Lammy said in a statement.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer echoed these sentiments during Prime Minister’s Questions, stating that the UK is engaging urgently with both countries and international partners to encourage dialogue and de-escalation. “Rising tensions between India and Pakistan will be of serious concern for many across Britain” Starmer said. The escalation has raised fears of a broader conflict, with international observers warning of the potential for a catastrophic confrontation between the two nuclear-armed nations. The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called for military restraint, emphasising that “the world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan.”