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United Nations Secretary-General and multiple countries have voiced deep concern and called for restraint after deadly clashes erupted between India and Pakistan on Wednesday, marking the most serious escalation in over two decades between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

Countries including China, Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar have all issued statements urging both sides to de-escalate, avoid further military confrontation, and resolve their differences through dialogue. The United Nations also expressed alarm over the situation.

Twenty-six people, including women and children, were killed and 46 others injured when India attacked civilian settlements in six areas of Pakistan on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, a spokesperson for the Pakistani army's media wing said, Xinhua reported. 

India attacked houses and mosques, targeting civilians in the Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and the country's east Punjab province, Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told media in a briefing.

He confirmed that the Pakistan Air Force shot down five Indian fighter jets, including three Rafales, one MiG-29, one Sukhoi, and a combat drone whose debris fell inside Indian territory. "None of the Pakistani aircraft went inside Indian airspace," he added, according to the report. 

The Indian government on Wednesday confirmed carrying out air strikes on nine identified "terrorist-training camps" located in the Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, according to Indian media reports. 

India was retaliating for the April 22 attack in the Indian-controlled Kashmir, which it has suggested Pakistan was behind, and which Pakistan has denied multiple times, according to the reports. 

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was very concerned about Indian attacks in Pakistan and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, his spokesperson said on Tuesday, while calling for maximum military restraint from the two Asian neighbors, Reuters reported. 

China urges both India and Pakistan to remain calm, exercise restraint and refrain from taking actions that may further complicate the situation, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Wednesday morning.

Also when addressing a question regarding whether China would engage with India and Pakistan to help ease the escalating tensions between the two countries, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Wednesday afternoon that China stands ready to work with the international community to continue to play a constructive role in the deescalation of the ongoing tensions. 

Lin said that China made clear its position on the ongoing situation between India and Pakistan. China finds India's military operation early this morning regrettable. "We are concerned about the ongoing situation," said Lin.

India and Pakistan are and will always be each other's neighbors. They're both China's neighbors as well. China opposes all forms of terrorism. We urge both sides to act in the larger interest of peace and stability, remain calm, exercise restraint and refrain from taking actions that may further complicate the situation, Lin added.

Russia's foreign ministry said it was deeply concerned about the deepening military confrontation between India and Pakistan, and called for both countries to show restraint. In a statement published on the ministry's website, it also said it condemned all forms of terrorism, according to Reuters. 

US President Donald Trump called the fighting "a shame" and added, "I hope it ends quickly." The State Department said Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to the national security advisers of both nations, urging "both to keep lines of communication open and avoid escalation," Reuters reported.

The UK has offered to play a diplomatic role in the India-Pakistan conflict. UK Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said his Cabinet colleague David Lammy had "reached out" to both nations in an effort to avoid further escalation, and told the BBC, "We stand ready to support both countries," according to the Independent.

Japan has also made a statement on the ongoing situation in Kashmir. According to the country's Foreign Minister IWAYA Takeshi, Japan is "deeply concerned that the recent series of events could lead to further reprisals and escalate into a full-scale military conflict," and "strongly urges both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and stabilize the situation through dialogue for the peace and stability in South Asia."

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said, "We call on India as well as on Pakistan to show restraint in order to avoid escalation. Nobody has anything to gain from prolonged confrontation between India and Pakistan. These are two major military powers, that is why we call for restraint," according to Reuters.

Turkey's foreign ministry has urged India and Pakistan to act with "commonsense," and said that India's attack on targets inside Pakistan and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir on 6 May risked igniting an all-out war in the region, AFP reported. Reuters reported that Turkey condemned the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure.

Qatar has expressed "deep concerns" over the escalation between India and Pakistan, urging "both countries to exercise maximum restraint, give priority to the voice of wisdom, respect the principles of good neighborliness, and resolve the crisis through diplomatic means," according to Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, has called on India and Pakistan to "exercise restraint, de-escalate tensions, and avoid further escalation that could threaten regional and international peace," according to a statement from the country's Foreign Ministry.

Global Times