The Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that Islamabad summoned the Indian Chargé d'Affairs today (Saturday), against the backdrop of the killing of two Pakistani civilians by gunfire from Indian border forces, according to what was reported by Reuters.
Indian border guard forces shot two Pakistani citizens near the border in the Punjab province on Friday, killing them, which increases tension between the two neighboring countries a year and a half after they retreated from waging war in disputed Kashmir.
Pakistani television, citing Pakistani security sources, said that three unarmed civilians, residents of the Kasur region in eastern Pakistan, took a few steps beyond one of the border signs, when members of the Indian Border Security Force opened fire on them. Television confirmed that two of them were killed and the third was wounded.
There was no immediate comment from New Delhi, but Indian media reported a different story, saying that the men were suspected of trying to enter India.
The shooting came a day after the Pakistani army cast doubt on India's announcement that its security forces had killed a prominent leader of the extremist group Lashkar-e-Taiba in the part of Kashmir under Indian control, as the army presented a man it said India had mistakenly identified as the dead militant.
Moscow asserted that Japan's approach to remilitarizing the country "creates additional security risks on Russia's borders in the Far East."
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in statements to the RIA Novosti agency published today (Saturday): “We have repeatedly stressed to the Japanese side that this trend raises grave concern, especially since these steps create additional security risks for the borders of the Russian Federation in the Far East, and have direct negative repercussions on stability and security in the Asia-Pacific region as a whole.”
The ministry pointed out that Tokyo officially announced plans to use the “Type-25” attack missile systems, which were deployed on Japanese territory several months ago, during the joint Japanese-American “Ken Sword-27” exercises scheduled to take place this October.
The ministry said: “It is clear that within the framework of the approach adopted by Japan to remilitarize the country, activities in the military field have lost their previous purely defensive character.”
Seoul announced today (Saturday) that Pyongyang had fired a ballistic missile, days after it demanded an apology for an explosion it was accused of carrying out that resulted in the injury of three South Korean soldiers in the demilitarized zone.
Pyongyang denied responsibility for a landmine explosion last month that injured three South Korean soldiers inside the demilitarized zone, a buffer zone planted with mines that has separated the two Koreas since the signing of the armistice agreement in 1953. It described South Korea yesterday (Friday) as “despicable,” according to what Agence France-Presse reported.
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul said that early today (Saturday), “our army detected the launch of a ballistic missile from the Wonsan area in North Korea towards the East Sea,” using the Korean name for the Sea of Japan.
He added, "South Korea, the United States, and Japan maintain a strong defense posture by closely exchanging information regarding North Korean ballistic missiles," noting that the missile traveled a distance of more than 700 kilometers.
Seoul and the United Nations Command concluded that the explosion that occurred last month inside the demilitarized zone was caused by North Korean mines planted on the southern side of the border.
The North Korean army planted mines and built anti-tank barriers along the border as part of efforts aimed at closing it permanently, after Kim Jong Un considered South Korea to be his country's "main enemy" in 2024. According to South Korean Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul, it is believed that the mines that caused the explosion that injured three soldiers were planted as part of border fortification work in Pyongyang.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, known for his peaceful stances, urged Pyongyang on Thursday to return to dialogue, despite his army demanding that North Korea apologize the previous day. Kim Yo Jong, the sister of the North Korean leader, responded by describing Seoul yesterday (Friday) as “extremely despicable,” and again denying that Pyongyang was behind the explosion. She ridiculed Lee's call for dialogue, saying that it was "the height of the farce that everyone must watch," stressing that the army's demand for her country to apologize was "absolutely ridiculous." Kim warned that Pyongyang was “prepared for anything” that Seoul might do in the wake of the mine explosion, in statements that came after North Korea launched a ballistic missile the next morning.
Rising tensions
Analysts said that the launch of the latest ballistic missile would be considered a show of force in response to the diplomatic efforts made by the South Korean government, and to show an actual refusal to engage in dialogue.
Yang Moo-jin, former president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told Agence France-Presse: “Seoul called for an easing of tensions, but Pyongyang responded by escalating them.” He considered that "the message is that North Korea seeks confrontation in response to good faith."
For his part, the South Korean Defense Minister said on Tuesday that the army has “a set of necessary measures at our disposal, and we will implement them in stages” to respond to the demilitarized zone incident, without providing further details. Also, South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-yong on Friday proposed holding talks to address issues along the border with Pyongyang. However, Kim Yo Jong rejected Chung's proposal to hold talks, calling it "a wild dream and one-sided talk."
This escalation comes at a time when US President Donald Trump's recent rapprochement with Pyongyang has raised fears that Washington's ally, Seoul, could be marginalized in any nuclear talks that include North Korea. In addition, the opposition “People Power Party” in South Korea, on Friday, accused President Lee Jae-myung of negligence in his criticism of Pyongyang when it was justified.
The party said in a statement: “South Korean soldiers were injured, and instead of receiving an apology, North Korea mocked us.” He added: “We do not see how selectively turning a blind eye to North Korea serves the dignity of South Korea or the safety of its people.”
