The office of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday that the country's armed forces were authorised to undertake "corresponding actions" in response to Indian missile strikes — marking one of the most intense flare-ups between the two nuclear-armed neighbours in decades, Reuters reported.
The escalation began late on Tuesday night, when India launched missile attacks on what it described as "terrorist infrastructure" in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
Indian officials said the strikes targeted militant groups Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which New Delhi holds responsible for attacks inside Indian territory.
An attack on civilians at Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir left 26 civilians dead on April 22, leading to tensions escalating between the neighbours.
Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told reporters in New Delhi that "intelligence and monitoring of Pakistan-based terror modules showed that further attacks against India were impending; therefore, it was necessary to take pre-emptive and precautionary strikes."
According to Pakistan's military, six locations were hit, none of which they identified as militant camps. A spokesperson said at least 26 civilians were killed and 46 injured. JeM claimed that 10 relatives of its leader, Masood Azhar, were among the dead.
Pakistan also claimed to have downed five Indian aircraft during the attack. Indian defence officials have not confirmed the report.
India's Ministry of Defence said nine sites were targeted in total. Meanwhile, retaliatory Pakistani shelling killed at least seven civilians and wounded 30 others in Indian-administeredareas, according to local Indian police and medical sources.
The strikes follow a deadly militant attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, last month that killed 26 tourists — mostly Indian nationals.
The international community has reacted with concern. Russia and China have called for calm and urged both sides to de-escalate. A UK minister said Britain stood ready to assist both countries in reducing tensions.
Kashmir, located in the Himalayas, has remained a flashpoint between India and Pakistan since the two countries gained independence in 1947. They have fought two wars over the region, the most recent in 1999.
Comments