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Pakistan's PM calls for talks after army shoots down two Indian warplanes

PAKISTAN’S Prime Minister Imran Khan called for direct talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi today after the Pakistani air force said it had shot down two Indian war planes.

“Let’s sit together to find a solution,” he said on TV.

Pakistani Major-General Asif Ghafoor said two Indian aircraft had crossed into Pakistani airspace over the line of control which divides Indian — from Pakistani-controlled Kashmir. They had been shot down and one pilot captured, he said.

The incident came a day after an Indian air raid on suspected Kashmiri separatists in Pakistan-controlled territory. Kashmir is claimed in its entirety by both countries.

The Indian air force did not confirm the report but said one of its “choppers” had crashed in Indian-controlled territory and four bodies retrieved from the wreckage. Airports in Kashmir have been closed to civilian flights.

Pakistan said its air force was now carrying out air raids over Indian Kashmir but denied this was “retaliation to Indian belligerence,” saying instead that the bombing was intended to “avoid human loss and collateral damage.”

Local police in Pakistani Kashmir said Indian shelling across the border had killed six people in the village of Kotli, including children. Hundreds of residents of border villages are fleeing their homes on both sides of the line of control.

Indian Lieutenant-Colonel Devender Anand said Pakistani troops had been firing on “dozens” of Indian positions throughout the night, saying they had initiated “unprovoked ceasefire violation.” He accused the Pakistani military of firing from people’s homes and using civilians as human shields.

The upsurge in violence was sparked by a suicide bombing in Indian Kashmir that killed 41 soldiers on February 14 and which India has blamed on Pakistan. China, Turkey and Germany have now added their voices to the clamour for both sides to show restraint rather than risk a full-scale war.

Indian and Pakistani ministers both claimed to be showing restraint, with Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj saying the last thing New Delhi wanted was escalation and its Tuesday bombing raid was intended to “act decisively against the terrorist infrastructure of the Jaish-e-Mohammad” group.

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