Japan urges India, Pakistan to exercise restraint, calls for dialogue for peace in South Asia

New Delhi [India], May 7 (ANI): Following Operation Sindoor, a targeted strike mission to destroy terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, Japan's Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi expressed concerns and urged India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and stabilise the situation through dialogue for peace and stability in South Asia.
"On May 7, the Government of India announced that it had attacked terrorist facilities in response to the terrorist attack that occurred in Kashmir on April 22. Regarding the terrorist attack that occurred in Kashmir on April 22, Japan once again strongly condemns such terrorist acts," Takeshi said in a statement.
"In this regard, Japan is deeply concerned that the recent series of events could lead to further reprisals and escalate into a full-scale military conflict. Japan strongly urges both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and stabilise the situation through dialogue for the peace and stability in South Asia," the statement added.
Takeshi further said that Japan would continue to monitor the situation closely while taking all possible measures to protect Japanese nationals abroad.
In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, the Indian Armed Forces launched a strike at the terror hideouts deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir under 'Operation Sindoor' on Wednesday morning. Wing Commander Vyomika Singh informed that a total of nine terror sites were targeted and successfully destroyed. She asserted that the locations were selected so that there was no damage to civilians and their infrastructure.
"Operation Sindoor was launched by the Indian Armed Forces to deliver justice to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and their families. Nine terrorist camps were targeted and successfully destroyed... The locations were so selected to avoid damage to civilian infrastructures and loss of any civilian lives," Wing Commander Vyomika Singh said.
Meanwhile, during the press briefing, Col Sofiya Qureshi presented the videos of the destruction of terror camps, including from the Muridke and where David Headley and Ajmal Kasab, perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, received training.
Other than Muridke, Sarjal camp in Sialkot, Markaz Ahle Hadith, Barnala and Markaz Abbas, Kotli and Mehmoona Joya camp, Sialkot, were targeted in the strikes conducted by the Indian Army, Col Qureshi informed.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that the attack on Pahalgam was driven by an objective of undermining the return of normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir.
"The attack in Pahalgam was marked with extreme barbarity, with the victims mostly killed with head shots at close range and in front of their family...the family members were deliberately traumatised through the manner of killing, accompanied by the exhortation that they should take back the message. The attack was clearly driven by the objective of undermining normalcy returning to Kashmir," he said. (ANI)