‘We don't want a war’, says Jammu-Kashmir CM

In his first public remarks following Indian airstrikes on Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said that no one in the region desires a war between the two neighbouring nations.

He, however, maintained that the responsibility to de-escalate lies squarely with Islamabad.

Speaking to ANI news agency, Abdullah stated that the Indian government had adopted the "right method" in giving a "befitting reply" to those responsible for the recent militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir.

"Only terror sites in Pakistan were hit, not military area or civilians," he said, referring to the Indian airstrikes. "But Pakistan has bombed some areas and our civilians were targeted in it," he added, citing the cross-border shelling along the Line of Control.

The chief minister also sought to reassure residents of Jammu and Kashmir, urging them not to panic amid rising tensions.

"They [the residents] don't have to run away from here," Abdullah said. "The region has enough stocks of essentials to sustain them through a crisis."

His comments come at a time of heightened military activity along the de facto border, with fears of further escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

Source: With inputs from BBC