Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai has urged India and Pakistan to cool tensions and unite against extremism, calling for dialogue and diplomacy to promote peace and security.

World leaders urged the two sides to exercise "restraint" and called for a de-escalation of hostilities. "The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan," UN Secretary-General António Guterres's spokesman said. He said Guterres is calling for "maximum military restraint from both countries".

The United States is leading global efforts to reduce tensions between India and Pakistan, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told Reuters on Thursday. India's drone incursions into Pakistan on Thursday made Pakistan's attack on India "increasingly certain",

Tension between the nuclear-armed nations is soaring. Pakistan's Shehbaz Sharif has vowed to retaliate after Indian strikes killed more than two dozen people.

The offensive occurred amid heightened tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors in the aftermath of an attack on Hindu tourists in Indian Kashmir.

India launched missile strikes on nine alleged terrorist sites in Pakistan early Wednesday morning. The attacks follow in the wake of contentious territorial, political and religi