IAF airstrikes: China urges India, Pak to exercise restraint, says terrorism a 'global issue'

After India launched air strikes on a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) camp in Pakistan, China on Tuesday urged New Delhi and Islamabad to "exercise restraint" and avoid further provocations.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said that tackling terrorism is a global issue which required active international cooperation and all the countries need to maintain cordial relations in the long-run.

"We hope that both India and Pakistan can exercise restraint and adopt actions that will help stabilise the situation in the region and improve mutual relations," said Lu Kang, Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

"I want to say that combating terrorism is a global issue and a global challenge. It requires cooperation between countries. To ensure necessary international cooperation in this regard, we should create the favourable conditions and atmosphere for that cooperation," he said.

Sending out a huge message, India on Tuesday carried out air strikes in Balakot area in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, destroying a major camp of JeM and eliminating a "large number" of terrorists, including top commanders, of the terror group which attacked the CRPF convoy in Pulwama 12 days back.

In the swift operation, launched at around 3.30 am and completed within minutes, 12 Mirage-2000 fighter jets pounded the training centre, housing around 300 terrorists, in Balakot area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province with six bombs while SU-30 combat aircraft maintained air superiority to ward off any retaliation by the Pakistan Air Force, sources said.

The camp, located in a forest area atop a hill, was headed by JeM chief Masood Azhar's brother-in-law Yusuf Azhar alias Ustad Gauri, who was involved in the 1999 hijack of Indian Airlines plane IC-814 and was on Interpol lookout notice since 2000.

Following this, a defiant and flabbergasted Pakistan said that Islamabad will respond to what it called "uncalled aggression" from New Delhi and warned India to be prepared for any "events of eventualities."

"The situation is very grave right now. We will act, not react. We reserve the right to retaliate. Pakistan will respond to such uncalled aggression from India and our armed forces are prepared for any events of eventualities," said Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, after the National Security Committee (NSC) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan.