South Asian rivals accuse each other of new military attacks

India and Pakistan accused each other of launching new military attacks on May 9, using drones and artillery for the third day in the worst fighting between the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours in nearly three decades.

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JAMMU, India/ISLAMABAD -

The old enemies have been clashing since India struck multiple locations in Pakistan on May 7 that it said were "terrorist camps", in retaliation for a deadly attack on Hindu tourists in Indian Kashmir in April.

Pakistan denied it was involved in the attack, but both countries have exchanged cross-border firing and shelling and sent drones and missiles into each other's airspace since then, with nearly four dozen people dying in the violence.

In a statement on May 9, Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Republic is "gravely concerned" about the ongoing military confrontation between the two countries, following the "heinous terror attack" in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22.

"We call on both parties to de-escalate tensions through diplomatic means and ensure the safety of all civilians," the ministry said.

Villagers have fled border areas in both countries, and many cities have been hit with blackouts, air raid warnings and panic buying of essentials.

India has suspended its Indian Premier League T20 cricket tournament after one match was stopped midway on May 8 and the floodlights switched off.

The fighting is the deadliest since a limited conflict between the two countries in Kashmir's Kargil region in 1999. India has targeted cities in Pakistan's mainland provinces outside Pakistani Kashmir for the first time since their full-scale war in 1971.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesman said on May 9 that India's "jingoism and war hysteria" should be a source of serious concern for the world.