World braces as India, Pakistan feud grows
India and Pakistan have both said they shot down each other's fighter jets, with Pakistan capturing an Indian pilot a day after Indian warplanes struck inside Pakistan for the first time since a 1971 war.
Both countries have ordered air strikes over the past two days while ground forces have exchanged fire, with world leaders strongly urging restraint.
Tension has been running high since a suicide car bombing by Pakistan-based militants in Indian-controlled Kashmir killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary police on February 14, but the risk of conflict rose dramatically on Tuesday when India launched an air strike on an alleged militant training base.
A senior Indian government source said 300 militants were killed in Tuesday's strike, but Pakistan says no one was killed.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan called for talks with India and hoped "better sense" would prevail so that both nuclear-armed sides could de-escalate.
The Pakistan government's official Twitter account also released a video of what it claimed was an Indian pilot who had been shot down.
The man, whom Pakistan has named as Wing Commander Abhi Nandan and whose face is bloodied and blindfolded, gives his name and service number.
India's foreign ministry said the pilot's treatment was a "vulgar display of an injured personnel of the Indian Air Force in violation of all norms of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Convention", ordering his release.
Pakistan and India have fought three wars since independence from British colonial rule in 1947, two over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.
The latest escalation marks a sudden turnaround in relations between the two countries. As recently as November, Khan spoke of "mending ties" with India.
The conflict also comes at a critical time for Indian Prime Minster Narendra Modi, who faces a general election in a matter of months.
The US White House condemned the intensifying conflict and urged "both sides to take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation."
"The potential risks associated with further military action by either side are unacceptably high for both countries, their neighbours and the international community," a National Security Council official said.
The Pentagon added to US pressure for restraint, issuing a statement that said Acting US Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan is focused "on de-escalating tensions and urging both of the nations to avoid further military action."
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke separately with the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan and urged them to avoid further military activity, a sentiment echoed by the European Union and China.
"I expressed to both ministers that we encourage India and Pakistan to exercise restraint, and avoid escalation at any cost," Pompeo said on Wednesday.
"I also encouraged both ministers to prioritise direct communication."
Australian Associated Press