Pakistan’s Defense Minister Welcomes U.S. Help to Ease Tensions With India

Pakistan’s defense minister said on Wednesday that he would welcome further U.S. efforts to help defuse his country’s crisis with India and praised President Trump for calling for a quick end to the conflict.

India said early Wednesday that its forces had struck nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir in response to a terrorist attack in Kashmir last month. Pakistani officials said at least 20 people were killed in the airstrikes.

While Pakistani officials have said that Pakistan reserves the right to retaliate, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, the defense minister, struck a different tone, suggesting that Pakistan had already responded by shooting down Indian planes and drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles or U.A.V.s.

He said his country would refrain from further action if India took no additional steps to attack and agreed to an independent investigation.

Mr. Asif said Pakistan’s Air Force had shot down five Indian planes and two drones. In addition, Pakistani jamming devices and electronic warfare equipment stopped some Indian missile launches and forced other planes to make emergency landings, he said.