Phl urges India, Pakistan: Resolve issues

The Philippines, through its Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), has called on India and Pakistan to resolve their ongoing issues peacefully.

In a statement released Wednesday, the DFA said it is “closely monitoring” the situation between the two South Asian nations.

“We call for a peaceful resolution to the current issues,” the department said.

The DFA also stated that the Philippine Embassy in Islamabad has confirmed no reports of Filipino casualties in the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in at least 26 civilian deaths and 20 injuries.

The department urged the Filipino community in the affected areas to exercise “sensible precautions and continue to be vigilant.” According to the DFA, approximately 3,350 Filipinos reside in India, while 3,151 are based in Pakistan.

Recent reports indicate that India launched “Operation Sindoor,” a series of air and missile strikes targeting nine locations across Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

The Indian government stated the operation aimed to dismantle terrorist infrastructure linked to groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, in response to the 22 April Pahalgam attack.

Pakistan’s government claimed to have downed at least five Indian Air Force jets. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described the Indian strikes as “an act of war” and vowed retaliation.