MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed that there are no Filipino casualties involved in recent airstrikes in Pakistan.
In a statement, DFA Spokesperson Asec. Ma. Teresita Daza assured the public that the Department is “closely monitoring” the situation between India and Pakistan.
“Our Embassy in Islamabad has confirmed that there are no reports of Filipino casualties in the incident,” the statement read.
“The DFA advises the Filipino community in the affected areas to take sensible precautions and continue to be vigilant,” the DFA said.
Earlier, the Philippine Embassy in Pakistan issued an advisory warning Filipinos in Pakistan to avoid travelling to certain areas due to the recent missile air strikes by Indian forces.
In an advisory posted by the Embassy on social media, it reminded Filipinos to refrain from travelling to the areas of Bhimber City, Azad Kashmir, the Sialkot Line of Control and anywhere within five (5) miles of the India-Pakistan border.
In the same advisory, the Embassy advised Filipinos residing in such areas to “exercise extreme caution,” especially to avoid non-essential travel, particularly near border zones and public gathering sites; remain indoors and monitor official announcements from local authorities; and maintain regular contact with their employers and community coordinators.
The Embassy also said that mobile phones should be fully charged and lines should remain open.
Basic necessities, such as ID, emergency bags, and essential medicines, should also be ready in case of evacuation.
The Embassy advised Filipinos in Pakistan to save its contact information for emergency cases, which is the following:
Assistance-to-Nationals (ATN): +92 333 5244 762
Facebook Page: FB.COM/PHinPAKISTAN
"We call for a peaceful resolution to the current issues," DFA stated.
India attacked Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir on Wednesday; while Pakistan said it had shot down five Indian fighter jets in the worst fighting in more than two decades between the nuclear-armed enemies, Reuters reported.
The Indian hits on targets in Pakistan's most populous province of Punjab were the first since their last full-scale war more than half a century ago, triggering fears of a further escalation of military hostilities.
According to reports, India said it struck nine Pakistani "terrorist infrastructure" sites, some of them linked to an attack by Islamist militants on Hindu tourists that killed 26 people in Indian Kashmir last month.
