Pakistan says it does not want to push region towards war

ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI -- Pakistan military said on Wednesday that it does not want to escalate the tension with India and urged New Delhi to accept its "offer of peace."

Tensions grew between the two neighbors after India claimed to have carried out air strikes in the Pakistani side on Tuesday, and Pakistan said it shot down two Indian fighter jets inside Pakistani airspace earlier on Wednesday.

India confirmed that Pakistan shot down one of its fighter jets MiG-21 and that the pilot had gone missing, which Pakistan claimed that he was in its custody.

"India should accept our offer of peace. But it is understood that if aggression is imposed on us, then we will respond. But that will be under compulsion," Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations, Pakistan army's media wing, Major General Asif Ghafoor said on Wednesday in a press conference.

He urged the international community to play its role to diffuse the current soaring situation to save peace in the region as Pakistan does not want to push the region towards war.

Ghafoor was briefing the media about Wednesday's situation in which Pakistan army said its air force shot down two Indian fighter jets inside Pakistani airspace and ground troops arrested two pilots of the destroyed aircraft.

According to Pakistani military, one of the Indian aircraft fell inside Pakistan-administered Kashmir while the other fell inside Indian-controlled Kashmir.

The military said the Indian fighter jets were intercepted and destroyed by the Pakistani side when they entered into Pakistani airspace, after Pakistan Air Force undertook strikes across Line of Control from within Pakistani airspace.

The military said Pakistan Air Force engaged with six non-military and non-civilian targets across the LoC from Pakistan's jurisdiction, and hit open areas near the targets.

"As a result of engaging our target, no human life was affected. Today's action was in self-defense; we don't want to claim any victory. The in-built message was that despite our capability, we look towards peace," said Ghafoor.

Earlier Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said in a statement that "Pakistan has, therefore, taken strikes at the non-military target, avoiding human loss and collateral damage. Sole purpose (is) being to demonstrate our right, will and capability for self-defense."

Pakistan's military also denied Indian media's reports that Indian forces shot down Pakistan's F-16 fighter jets.

"No F-16 of Pakistan was shot down in this action contrary to some reports by Indian media," he said, adding no F-16 was engaged in this action.

The incident came a day after the Pakistani army said Indian fighter jets violated the LoC Tuesday morning and released payloads in the Pakistani side.

India claimed that its air force had targeted a camp of Jaish-e-Muhammad group in Tuesday's attack. The group was blamed for the Feb 14 suicide bombing on Indian paramilitary troopers in Indian-controlled Kashmir that killed some 40 people.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesman said "we have no intention of escalation, but are fully prepared to do so if forced into that paradigm. That is why we undertook the action with a clear warning and in broad daylight."

"If India is striking at so-called terrorist backers without a shred of evidence, we also retain reciprocal rights to retaliate against elements that enjoy Indian patronage while carrying out acts of terror in Pakistan," he added.