Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has confirmed that Pakistan and India’s national security advisers (NSAs) have made contact following a sharp escalation in hostilities between the two nuclear-armed nations on Wednesday.
In an interview with Turkish state broadcaster TRT World, Dar said the recent Indian airstrikes against Pakistan marked a serious act of aggression. “India has taken a war step against Pakistan,” he asserted, describing New Delhi’s actions as “unforgivable.”
Speaking to TRT World's Kamran Yousaf, Dar responded to questions regarding backchannel diplomacy, confirming that contact had indeed occurred between the two countries’ top security officials. “Yes, there has been contact between the two,” he said.
The revelation comes amid a tense standoff following India’s strikes on May 7, which Pakistan has strongly condemned and responded to. Dar emphasized that Pakistan retains the right to defend itself and deliver a “befitting reply” to any further Indian provocation.
Moreover, Ishaq Dar also revealed that Türkiye was the first country to formally issue a statement of condemnation against India’s deadly cross-border airstrikes that claimed the lives of 31 civilians in Pakistan early on Wednesday morning. He said that following the late-night attacks, the first call he received was from Türkiye’s foreign minister.
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“This morning after the attack, which was almost past midnight, around 1 am, the first call I received was from foreign minister of Türkiye,” Dar noted, highlighting Ankara’s swift show of solidarity.
India’s aggression has sparked fears of a broader conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also called Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and assured Pakistan of Türkiye’s full support to “do its utmost to prevent further escalation of tensions”.
Erdoğan expressed Türkiye’s solidarity with Pakistan, offered condolences for the lives lost and wished a speedy recovery for the injured. “President Erdoğan’s statement was very supportive—it reflects Türkiye is like a very close brother,” Dar said, adding that Türkiye has once again proven itself to be a true friend.
The Turkish ambassador in Islamabad was also among the first foreign envoys to contact Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry and reach out to Dar personally in the immediate aftermath of the strikes. “So you can evaluate our brotherhood, our friendship, and closeness,” he added.
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In response to India’s claims of targeting "terrorist camps" in Pakistan, the Pakistan Air Force retaliated by downing five Indian fighter jets, including three French-made Rafale aircraft, according to Dar.
Erdoğan voiced support for Pakistan’s “calm and measured approach” to resolve the crisis and backed Pakistan’s proposal for a neutral and transparent international investigation into the April 22 attack in occupied Kashmir's Pahalgam area, calling it “an appropriate step” toward peace. The Turkish Foreign Ministry also warned that India’s airstrikes "created a risk of all-out war" and condemned the targeting of civilians as a “provocative” act.
“We greatly value our friendship and brotherhood with Türkiye,” Dar said.
Beyond Türkiye, several global powers and institutions, including the United Nations, have urged both Pakistan and India to de-escalate. The White House confirmed that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken to his counterparts in both countries, encouraging dialogue to resolve the crisis.
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Similarly, the United Kingdom, Russia, and France have issued calls for restraint and stressed the need to settle the dispute through peaceful negotiations.
Pakistan recently appointed Lt Gen Asim Malik, director general of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), as its new national security adviser. His counterpart in India is Ajit Doval.
The deputy PM reiterated Pakistan’s stance that peaceful coexistence is its preference, but warned that continued Indian hostility would be met with resolute defence.
Also on Wednesday, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif condemned India’s recent airstrikes as a dangerous provocation, warning that the attacks could escalate into a full-scale conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
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In an exclusive interview with CNN, Asif said India launched the assault “in the dark of night,” targeting civilian areas in both Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. He firmly rejected India’s allegations linking Pakistan to last month’s deadly attack in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, where over two dozen civilians, mostly tourists, were killed.
“India's allegations of the presence of terrorists in Pakistan are completely baseless,” he added. "There are risks of increasing tensions between Pakistan and India."
Khawaja Asif confirmed that Pakistan responded to the airstrikes using its domestically produced JF-17 Thunder aircraft, while India deployed Rafale fighter jets. He claimed Pakistan successfully shot down six Indian aircraft, and that evidence of Indian planes being downed is “already circulating on social media and being reported by Indian media.”
