India fires missiles on Pakistan. Islamabad calls it an ‘act of war’ and says it downed Indian jets
ISLAMABAD (AP) — India fired missiles at Pakistan early Wednesday, in what it said was retaliation for last month’s massacre of Indian tourists. Pakistan called the strikes an act of war and claimed it downed several Indian fighter jets.
The missiles killed more than two dozen people, including women and children, in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and the country’s Punjab province, Pakistan’s military said. The strikes targeted at least nine sites “where terrorist attacks against India have been planned,” India’s Defense Ministry said.
Pakistan said it reserved the right to respond, raising the specter that the back-and-forth could spiral into all-out conflict between the nuclear-armed rivals. Already, it’s their worst confrontation since 2019, when they came close to war.
Following the strikes, there was a heavy exchange of fire that officials in each country said left more people dead. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif commended the armed forces for shooting down five Indian jets, which he said were hit after they fired their missiles but while still in Indian airspace.
There was no immediate comment from India, but three planes fell onto villages in India-controlled territory, according to police and residents.
Tensions have soared between the neighbors since an April attack in which gunmen killed 26 people, mostly Indian tourists, in India-controlled Kashmir. Some survivors told Indian media that gunmen in some cases singled out Hindu men and shot them at close range.
India accuses Pakistan of being behind the attack, which was claimed by a militant group calling itself Kashmir Resistance. India has said the group is linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, a disbanded Pakistani militant group that New Delhi long accused of being backed by Pakistan.
India-Pakistan live: India strikes Pakistan, Pakistan-administered Kashmir
Indian military strikes Pakistan, Pakistan-administered Kashmir
- India and Pakistan exchange fire across the line of control between Indian- and Pakistan-administered Kashmir after India launched Operation Sindoor.
- Pakistan says India’s missile attacks on Punjab province and Pakistan-administered Kashmir killed at least 26 people and wounded dozens. Indian officials say at least 10 have been killed and more wounded in Indian-administered Kashmir due to Pakistani fire.
Pakistan’s defence minister warns of threat of nuclear war
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif says if India imposes an all-out war on the region, it may lead to nuclear escalation.
“If India pushes the region toward nuclear war, it will bear the full consequences,” Asif told Geo News.
Indian capital goes dark amid drill
Several Indian news outlets have reported that power was cut off for 15 minutes in parts of New Delhi, including the area housing the parliament and India Gate, as part of an emergency readiness drill.
The Indian Express described the blackout as an “unprecedented sight”.
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