Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)

In a statement to media, the Ministry demanded the immediate safe release of the IAF pilot.

Earlier the same day, Pakistan posted a video of an Indian pilot who was arrested after two Indian military aircrafts were shot down over Pakistan. The pilot wore an IAF uniform with a tag that said his name was Abhinandan Varthaman.

Military confrontation between India and Pakistan continues to escalate. New Delhi on Tuesday said India had conducted an air raid on a training camp of the Islamic extremist group “Jaish-e-Mohammad” (JeM) in the Kashmir territory under the control of Pakistan.

Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj said the decision to conduct the air raid was taken because Pakistan failed to take action against the terrorist group and a reliable source said the JeM was planning an attack on India.

Many countries have expressed concern about the escalation of tensions between the two neighbors and have called for restraint.

On Wednesday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif made a phone call to Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi to propose that Iran act as an intermediary for India and Pakistan.

Nepal said it was also anxious about developments in the relationship between India and Pakistan and called on both to normalize the situation through dialogue and other peaceful measures.

In a phone call to Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed deep concern over the escalation of tensions after India and Pakistan reported shooting down each other’s fighter jets.

The US National Security Council warned that risks of further military action are unacceptably high for both India and Pakistan, their neighbors, and the international community. The US is deeply concerned about the rising tensions and called on both to take immediate steps to deescalate the situation.

Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland has urged India and Pakistan to exercise maximum restraint as tensions over the disputed Kashmir region mount.

Germany is calling for dialogue between India and Pakistan to prevent a further escalation of the situation between the two nuclear-armed states.

The UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office Minister for Asia and the Pacific Mark Field expressed his deep concern about rising tensions between India and Pakistan, and called for restraint by both sides.