Shehbaz Sharif authorises ‘corresponding action’ after India strikes kill 26 – as it happened

We’re now closing this blog but you can follow the latest news in our new blog here: Here’s where things stand: At least 26 people, including several children, have been killed and 46 injured after India launched attacks on what it claimed were nine sites of “terrorist infrastructure” inside Pakistan, in a sharp escalation of hostilities between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Pakistan called the strikes an “act of war” and claimed it had shot down several Indian air force jets. The office of the prime minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, said the country’s armed forces had been authorised to undertake “corresponding actions” Pakistan has authorised its military to take “corresponding” retaliatory action against India after an overnight missile attack. In a strongly worded statement, Pakistan accused India of “igniting an inferno” in the region after it carried out targeted strikes on nine sites in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and the Pakistani province of Punjab in the early hours of Wednesday Pakistan said another five people were killed in artillery fire near the Line of Control, the de facto border between the two countries. Indian police and medics have said at least seven civilians were killed and 30 others wounded by retaliatory Pakistani firing and shelling overnight Since India carried out its strikes early on Wednesday morning, heavy artillery fire has been reported by locals living along the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border that divides the disputed region of Kashmir. Indian officials said that at least 12 civilians had been killed in the shelling since Wednesday morning and 42 injured. The victims included a woman and her three children Indian defense minister Rajnath Singh said Wednesday his government had exercised its “right to respond” to avenge the killings of innocent civilians on Indian soil last month, claiming “we killed only those who killed our innocents” Pakistan’s National Security Committee, chaired by Sharif, said the Indian strikes were carried out “on the false pretext of the presence of imaginary terrorist camps” and deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure, including mosques. “These unprovoked and unjustified attacks martyred innocent men, women and children,” a statement said Islamist militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed said that ten relatives and four associates of its leader Masood Azhar were killed in the Indian attack India’s prime minister Narendra Modi cancelled plans to visit Europe India named its attack “Operation Sindoor” in a reference to the wives of victims of the militant attack in the Baisaran Valley in Pahalgam in April. China called on India and Pakistan “to prioritise peace and stability, remain calm and exercise restraint, and avoid actions that could further complicate the situation”. Russia said it was concerned by the development, while Turkey urged “common sense” The European Union’s senior diplomat, Kaja Kallas, has described the situation in Kashmir as very concerning. Reuters reports she said the EU was trying to mediate and bring tensions down. Foreign ministers from Germany, France and Spain have all spoken to their Indian equivalent today. The UK said it was ready to help both countries to de-escalate the situation. Kashmir has been disputed territory since the British partitioned India in 1947 UK foreign secretary David Lammy said Britain “has close and unique relationships with both countries. I have made clear to my counterparts in India and Pakistan that if this escalates further, nobody wins” Flights across the region have been disrupted, with commercial airlines rerouting and cancelling journeys to avoid Pakistan’s airspace Pakistan has authorised its military to take “corresponding” retaliatory action against India after an overnight missile attack by the Indian air force killed 26 across Pakistan, raising fears of an escalating conflict between the two nuclear-armed countries. In a strongly worded statement, Pakistan accused India of “igniting an inferno” in the region after it carried out targeted strikes on nine sites in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and the Pakistani province of Punjab in the early hours of Wednesday. India said the strikes were a direct retaliation for an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir late last month, in which militants targeted and killed 25 Hindu tourists and their guide. India had accused Pakistan of direct involvement in the attacks, through Islamist militant organisations it has long been accused of backing. After its airstrikes on Wednesday, which killed 26 people including several children, and left 45 injured, India jubilantly claimed victory over Pakistan. The uneasy calm that had settled over India and Pakistan in the past two weeks was swiftly shattered in the early hours of Wednesday morning. In the days that followed the deadly attack that killed 25 Indian tourists and a guide in Kashmir in late March, the Indian government made it clear it held Pakistan responsible – and it intended to avenge the deaths. Meanwhile, the Indian public – horrified by accounts that tourists had been targeted and shot for being Hindu – was baying for blood. Newspaper columns and nightly discussions on TV news channels rang with calls for the prime minister, Narendra Modi, to take decisive action against Pakistan and “teach them a lesson” once and for all. But a fortnight after the attack, with no clear impending action or military mobilisation in sight, some had wondered whether India really intended to retaliate. “What is going on?” asked one senior military analyst on Tuesday. By 1am on Wednesday, that question was answered. In highly coordinated air and drone strikes, Indian missiles hit nine targets, both in the part of the Kashmir region administered by Pakistan and in Pakistan’s Punjab province. It was the first time since the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war that India had fired missiles into Punjab. Since India carried out its strikes early on Wednesday morning, heavy artillery fire has been reported by locals living along the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border that divides the disputed region of Kashmir. Indian officials said that at least 12 civilians had been killed in the shelling since Wednesday morning and 42 injured. The victims included a woman and her three children. Thousands of residents living near the LoC were forced to evacuate to safer areas. Poonch, located in the south-west of Indian-administered Kashmir near the Line of Control, suffered the heaviest damage from the shelling. Local residents described living in terror amid what they called a “rain of artillery fire” that damaged homes, a Sikh temple, agricultural fields, and vehicles. “I’m confined to a concrete bunker in my basement with six family members,” Abdullah Khan said by phone. “Mortar shells have been landing around us since last night. While many have managed to flee to safer areas, we haven’t found an opportunity to escape.” The shelling has devastated Poonch town, with multiple locations hit, according to local residents. Although cross-border firing along the LoC has continued for 13 days, witnesses reported intensification following India’s military strike against Pakistan. “Two of my relatives were seriously wounded when a mortar shell hit their home this morning,” said Safeer Abdullah, a Poonch resident who expressed anger over rising India-Pakistan tensions. “We’ve endured this violence for generations; our ancestors suffered, and now we do too. Every hour here feels like it could be our last. The shelling has been so intense that no one within 150 kilometres of the border can sleep or eat properly.” Mohammad Mashooq, another Poonch resident, reported that numerous homes had been destroyed and warned the entire town could burn if shelling persists. “We beg the Indian and Pakistani governments to stop this madness,” Mashooq said by phone, with artillery explosions audible in the background. “Innocent people are being brutally killed. They should let us live in peace – there’s been enough destruction and loss of life.” As he prepared his family for another perilous night in their bunker, Mashooq added: “My children are terrified. I fear these earth-shaking explosions might kill them. I just hope we survive this hell tonight.” In a statement, the Spanish foreign ministry called for restraint to avoid any military escalation in relation to India and Pakistan. It read: The minister of foreign affairs, European Union and cooperation, José Manuel Albares, has held talks with his counterparts from India, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and from Pakistan, Ishaq Dar, to learn first-hand about the situation that has developed in recent hours and to exchange views with both sides. Albares called for restraint to avoid any military escalation and urged dialogue and diplomacy to resolve differences. The Spanish minister also offered Spain’s mediation to facilitate bilateral dialogue or a dialogue within the framework of the United Nations. The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) expressed concern about the impact of events in Kashmir on British Indian and Pakistani communities, noting “heightened emotions” in recent days. Maswood Ahmed, deputy secretary general of the MCB, said: In these tense times, we must all play our part. The MCB stands ready to engage with authorities, faith institutions and both Pakistani and Indian communities to ensure our streets remain peaceful. In the Commons, British Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer told MPs: The British Pakistani and British Indian communities make a huge contribution to this country. We recognise this will be a difficult time for many. We look to all community and faith leaders to spread a message that now is a time for coming together across religious and ethnic differences. Pakistan’s foreign minister has also spoken to his counterpart from Spain. Posting to social media, the foreign ministry said Mohammad Ishaq Dar told José Manuel Albares of what Pakistan viewed as “India’s unprovoked and unlawful act of aggression, which constituted a flagrant violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and a clear breach of international law.” The statement went on to say that Dar “underscored the tragic loss of innocent civilian lives and the serious implications of the incident for regional peace and strategic stability.” The European Union’s senior diplomat, Kaja Kallas, has described the situation in Kashmir as very concerning. Reuters reports she said the EU was trying to mediate and bring tensions down. Foreign ministers from Germany, France and Spain have all spoken to their Indian equivalent today. In Hyderabad, Pakistan, members of the Islamic Sunni Tehreek movement have staged an anti-India protest during which an effigy of India’s prime minister Narendra Modi was burned. Within the last hour, India’s external affairs minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, has posted to social media to say that he has spoken to the foreign ministers of Japan and of Spain, and held a joint telephone conference with the foreign ministers of France and Germany. To help understand the background to today’s events, my colleague Peter Beaumont wrote this explainer overnight: The roots of the conflict go back decades however, and here is how the Guardian covered the beginning of the uprising in Kashmir against Indian rule in October 1947, just weeks after the partition of India by the British. You can read the 1947 report in full in our from the Guardian archive series. The Pakistan Airports Authority has, according to Reuters, announced that all airports in Pakistan are fully functional, and that Pakistan’s national airspace is available and safe for civil aviation. Multiple airlines have cancelled or rerouted civilian flights in the wake of India’s missile attack. Our graphics team have produced this updated map showing the region and the places inside Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir that were struck by the Indian attacks. It is approaching 5.30pm in Islamabad and 6pm in New Delhi. Here are the latest headlines At least 26 people, including several children, have been killed and 46 injured after India launched attacks on what it claimed were nine sites of “terrorist infrastructure” inside Pakistan, in a sharp escalation of hostilities between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Pakistan called the strikes an “act of war” and claimed it had shot down several Indian air force jets. The office of the prime minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, said the country’s armed forces had been authorised to undertake “corresponding actions” Pakistan said another five people were killed in artillery fire near the Line of Control, the de facto border between the two countries. Indian police and medics have said at least seven civilians were killed and 30 others wounded by retaliatory Pakistani firing and shelling overnight Indian defense minister Rajnath Singh said Wednesday his government had exercised its “right to respond” to avenge the killings of innocent civilians on Indian soil last month, claiming “we killed only those who killed our innocents” Pakistan’s National Security Committee, chaired by Sharif, said the Indian strikes were carried out “on the false pretext of the presence of imaginary terrorist camps” and deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure, including mosques. “These unprovoked and unjustified attacks martyred innocent men, women and children,” a statement said Islamist militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed said that ten relatives and four associates of its leader Masood Azhar were killed in the Indian attack India’s prime minister Narendra Modi cancelled plans to visit Europe India named its attack “Operation Sindoor” in a reference to the wives of victims of the militant attack in the Baisaran Valley in Pahalgam in April. China called on India and Pakistan “to prioritise peace and stability, remain calm and exercise restraint, and avoid actions that could further complicate the situation”. Russia said it was concerned by the development, while Turkey urged “common sense” The UK said it was ready to help both countries to de-escalate the situation. Kashmir has been disputed territory since the British partitioned India in 1947 UK foreign secretary David Lammy said Britain “has close and unique relationships with both countries. I have made clear to my counterparts in India and Pakistan that if this escalates further, nobody wins” Flights across the region have been disrupted, with commercial airlines rerouting and cancelling journeys to avoid Pakistan’s airspace The Indian embassy in Beijing has accused Chinese media outlet Global Times of spreading “disinformation” following a news report on the fighting overnight. Global Times reported: The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has shot down another Indian fighter jet in response to overnight airstrikes carried out by India at multiple locations in Pakistan, sources from the Pakistani military said on Wednesday. In response, the Indian embassy said: We would recommend you verify your facts and cross-examine your sources before pushing out this kind of dis-information. Several pro-Pakistan handles are spreading baseless claims in the context of #OperationSindoor, attempting to mislead the public. When media outlets share such information without verifying sources, it reflects a serious lapse in responsibility and journalistic ethics. You can read the full thread on X here. Former UK prime minister Rishi Sunak has said India is “justified in striking terrorist infrastructure”. In a post on X, the former Tory leader said: No nation should have to accept terrorist attacks being launched against it from land controlled by another country. India is justified in striking terrorist infrastructure. There can be no impunity for terrorists. Our graphics team has produced this chart showing how the level of political violence in Jammu and Kashmir has varied over the past 10 years: The UK has urged Pakistan and India to talk to one another over their soaring tensions, saying “nobody wins” from further escalation. Prime minister Keir Starmer said the UK was “engaging urgently with both countries … encouraging dialogue, de-escalation and the protection of civilians”. Foreign Secretary David Lammy added: The UK government is urging India and Pakistan to show restraint and engage in direct dialogue to find a swift, diplomatic path forward. He said Britain – which has millions of citizens of Indian or Pakistani heritage – “has close and unique relationships with both countries”. I have made clear to my counterparts in India and Pakistan that if this escalates further, nobody wins. In Muridke in Pakistan, about 30 kms from Lahore, crowds have gathered for funerals held for those killed by India’s airstrikes. There has also been a gathering in Peshawar, where members of the Pakistan Central Muslim League have held an anti-India demonstration. India named its attack on targets inside Pakistan and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir “Operation Sindoor” in a reference to the wives of victims of the militant attack in the Baisaran Valley in Pahalgam in April. Hindu women put sindoor, which means vermilion, on their head as a symbol of marriage. In videos posted to social media which purport to show the attacks carried out by India, the Indian army has used a logo for “Operation Sindoor” which replaced one letter o with a bowl of the dye. India’s NDTV quoted the widow of one of the victims from Pahalgam, Pragati Jagdale, saying “It’s a befitting reply after the way those terrorists erased the vermilion. On hearing the name of this operation, I had tears in my eyes. I sincerely thank the government.” India’s external affairs minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, has posted to social media to say he has spoken to Qatar’s prime minister and minister of foreign affairs to brief him on what he described as “India’s targeted and measured response to deter cross-border terrorism.” Pakistan’s foreign ministry has stated that foreign minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar has briefed ambassador Jiang Zaidong of China on the situation in person. The ministry said Dar spoke of “the serious situation following India’s unprovoked violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and the tragic loss of innocent lives.” It added “He underscored Pakistan’s firm resolve to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity at all costs. The two sides exchanged views on regional security developments and agreed to maintain close coordination and communication across all relevant areas.” Britons have been advised not to travel to parts of India and Pakistan, PA Media reports. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) updated its travel advice for the region, warning against all travel within 10km of the India-Pakistan border, 16km of the Line of Control (the de facto border that divides disputed Kashmir between the two countries) and the Balochistan province of Pakistan. In a statment it said “We are continuing to monitor the situation closely. British nationals should stay up to date with our travel advice and follow the advice of local authorities.” Here are some images of a residential house which has been partially damaged by cross-border shelling in Salamabad in India-administered Kashmir’s Baramulla district. Pakistan’s National Security Committee (NSC) has said India “has once again ignited an inferno in the region” and said “The responsibility for ensuing consequences shall lie squarely with India.” In a statement it described India as carrying out “unprovoked illegal actions.” Here are some more images from Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, where UN military observers have arrived to inspect the site of a mosque damaged after Indian airstrikes. Turkey’s foreign ministry has urged India and Pakistan to act with “common sense”, and said that India's attack on targets inside Pakistan and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir on 6 May risked igniting an all-out war in the region. Reuters reports Turkey said it codemns the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure. The office of the prime minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, has said that the country’s armed forces have been authorised to undertake “corresponding actions” after India’s strikes, Reuters reports. India attacked Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir on Wednesday night, in the worst fighting between the two nuclear-armed nations for decades. Pakistan claimed to have downed five Indian planes during the attack. Indian defence ministry officials have not confirmed the figure. India claimed to have hit nine targets it described as “terrorist infrastructure”. Two Indian military spokespersons told a briefing in New Delhi that Islamist militant groups Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) were the targets. Indian foreign secretary Vikram Misri, the top official in its external affairs ministry, told a briefing “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.” Islamabad said six Pakistani locations were targeted, and that none of them were militant camps. At least 26 civilians were killed and 46 injured, a Pakistan military spokesperson said. JeM said in a statement on Wednesday that 10 relatives of its leader Masood Azhar were killed in an Indian attack. Indian police and medics have said at least seven civilians were killed and 30 others wounded by retaliatory Pakistani firing and shelling overnight. The attacks come weeks after 26 tourists, mostly Indian, were killed by militants in Kashmir. Countries including Russia and China have called for calm and de-escalation between the two nations. A UK minister has said his government is ready to help both sides to de-escalate. Control of Kashmir, in the foothills of the Himalayas, has been disputed since India and Pakistan gained independence from Britain in 1947. India and Pakistan have twice gone to war over the territory, most recently in 1999. Here is another image of the damage in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, after a strike by Indian forces. Reuters has this rundown of the nine places targeted by India in its attack: Markaz Taiba camp – India says the camp, 25 km (16 miles) from the de-facto border, was the headquarters of militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which has been linked to last month’s attack Markaz Subhan camp – the target deepest in Pakistan, about 100 km (62 miles) from the border, India claims this camp was the headquarters of Islamist group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). The group has said ten relatives of its leader have been killed Mehmoona Joya camp – a training facility of militant group Hijbul Mujahideen 12 km (7 miles) from the border Gulpur camp – a base for LeT located 30 km (19 miles) from the border, India says Sarjal camp – 6 km (4 miles) inside Pakistan Abbas camp – located 13 km (8 miles) from the border, India claims LeT suicide bombers were trained here Syedna Belal camp – India claims this was a JeM staging area Sawai Nala camp – Located about 30 km (19 miles) from the de-facto border, India claims this was a training camp for LeT Barnala camp – India claims terrorists trained here in weapons handling Air France has joined the airlines that has announced it is rerouting flights to avoid Pakistan airspace, Reuters reports. Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed has issued a statement claiming that ten members of the family of its leader Maulana Masood Azhar and four close associates have been killed in India’s strike on Bahawalpur in Pakistan. More details soon … China’s foreign ministry has advised Chinese citizens to avoid travelling to conflict areas in Kashmir, and said it is closely monitoring developments in the region. Here are some of the latest images sent to us over the news wires from India and Pakistan. Reuters has a quick snap that India’s prime minister Narendra Modi has cancelled a planned trip to Croatia, the Netherlands and Norway. More details soon … A minister in the UK government has said the situation in Kashmir is “hugely worrying” and that his country was ready to support both sides to de-escalate. Speaking on a BBC radio programme, PA Media reports trade minister Jonathan Reynolds said “Our message would be that we are a friend, a partner to both countries. We stand ready to support both countries. Both have a huge interest in regional stability, in dialogue, in de-escalation and anything we can do to support that, we are here and willing to do.” Our First Edition newsletter today features a briefing from my colleague Archie Bland on the background to the conflict in Kashmir, and a useful overview of recent events. You can read it here. Russia, itself involved in its war in Ukraine, having invaded the country in February 2022, has issued a statement calling on India and Pakistan to exercise restraint. Tass reports the Russian foreign ministry said “Russia is deeply concerned about the escalation of military confrontation between India and Pakistan. Russia calls on the parties to the Indian-Pakistani conflict to exercise restraint in order to prevent further deterioration of the situation in the region.” Several Asian airlines have now said they were re-routing or cancelling flights to and from Europe because of the renewed fighting between India and Pakistan in the Kashmir area. Reuters reports more than two dozen international flights were diverted to avoid Pakistan airspace. By Wednesday morning local time, airlines had cancelled 52 flights to or from Pakistan, according to FlightRadar24. France has called on India and Pakistan to show restraint after the overnight strikes. “We understand India’s desire to protect itself against the scourge of terrorism, but we obviously call on both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint to avoid escalation and, of course, to protect civilians,” foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot, said in an interview on French media. It’s 11.30am in Delhi and 11am in Islamabad. Here’s where things stand: India has conducted what it has described as “precision strikes” in neighbouring Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, days after it blamed Islamabad for a deadly attack on the Indian side of the contested region that killed 26 people. Twenty-six people, including a child, were killed in the overnight missile strikes and 46 others have been injured, according to a Pakistani military spokesperson. The Indian government said in a statement that nine non-military targets had been hit in the strikes, in what it called “Operation Sindoor.” India said it struck nine Pakistani “terrorist infrastructure” sites, some of them linked to the attack by Islamist militants in Indian Kashmir last month. Pakistan has refuted this, saying none of the targets were militant camps. New Delhi said its actions had been “focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature”. It had displayed “considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution”, it added. The Indian army, in a video on X, said “justice is served.” Both countries also exchanged intense shelling and heavy gunfire across much of their de facto border in the Himalayan region of Kashmir, police and witnesses told Reuters. Indian police and medics have said at least seven civilians were killed and 30 others wounded by Pakistani firing and shelling overnight. Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif said the “deceitful enemy has carried out cowardly attacks at five locations in Pakistan” and that his country would retaliate. “Pakistan has every right to give a robust response to this act of war imposed by India, and a strong response is indeed being given,” Sharif said. Sharif has convened a meeting of the National Security Committee for Wednesday morning. He said his country and its forces “know very well how to deal with the enemy. . … We will never let the enemy succeed in its nefarious objectives.” Pakistan says five Indian air force jets were shot down, a claim not confirmed by India. However, four local government sources in Indian Kashmir told Reuters that three fighter jets had crashed in separate areas of the region during the night. The United Nations has called for maximum restraint from both India and Pakistan. “The secretary-general [António Guterres] is very concerned about the Indian military operations across the Line of Control and international border. He calls for maximum military restraint from both countries,” the spokesperson said. “The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan.” The development marks a dramatic escalation in the long-simmering conflict between the neighbouring nuclear powers. Bilateral ties between the two countries plummeted after gunmen killed 26 mainly Hindu civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir last month. Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, on Tuesday warned that water from India flowing into neighbouring countries including Pakistan would be stopped, days after suspending a key water treaty with Islamabad. Meanwhile, civil defence drills are taking place across India. Some images from Varanasi show National Disaster Response Force personnel practising rescues and emergency response procedures. Indian police and medics have said at least seven civilians were killed and 30 others wounded by Pakistani firing and shelling at multiple places across the Line of Control, the de facto border that divides disputed Kashmir between the two countries. There have been heavy exchanges of artillery fire along the Line of Control, authorities have said. All the fatalities occurred in Poonch district which lies close to the highly militarised frontier. Officials said several homes also were damaged in the shelling. The Indian army in a statement said Pakistani troops “resorted to arbitrary firing,” including gunfire and artillery shelling, along the Line of Control and their international border. It said it was “responding in a proportionate manner.” Wing Commander Vyomika Singh has told the press briefing in Delhi that India has shown considerable restraint in its strikes overnight. She reiterated that the strikes were targeted at “terrorist infrastructure” and that India aimed to avoid civilian casualties. Earlier, a Pakistani officials disputed this, claiming that all the sites were civilian and not militant camps. He said India’s claim of targeting “camps of terrorists is false”. The press briefing has now ended without questions being taken. As Indian officials brief the press in Delhi, a military spokesperson in Pakistan has confirmed the number of dead has risen to 26 civilians across the six places that were targeted in Indian missile attacks and 46 were injured. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that 13 people were killed in Ahmedpur East, Bahawalpur district, including “two three-year-old girls”, seven women and four men. He added that 37 were injured in Ahmedpur’s attack, including nine women and 28 men, he said. Chaudhry said 13 more people were killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. He said that the places targeted were locations that the international media had been taken to show that “civilians and families” lived there, as opposed to the “unsubstantiated and unreasonable allegations” levelled by India. A day before the attack, Pakistan’s armed forces media wing ISPR had offered to take international journalists to Muridke and Bahawalpur, as India had accused Pakistan of harbouring militants in the areas. Chaudhry said that 57 international flights were in Pakistan airspace at the time of the Indian attacks. India’s military spokesperson has told the press briefing that “recruitment centres, launchpads and indoctrination centres” were targeted in the overnight strikes. The targets were selected based on prior intelligence. The briefing is now being shown aerial images of the strikes on Pakistani territory. India’s overnight strikes were aimed at disabling terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan, India’s foreign secretary, Vikram Misri, has told the press briefing. He calls them proportionate and non-escalatory. Our intelligence agencies monitoring terrorist activities have indicated that there could be more attacks on India, and it was felt essential to both stop and tackle them.” Col Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh says “nine terrorist camps were targeted and destroyed”. These camps are located in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.” This post was corrected. Vikram Misri is the foreign secretary of India, not the foreign minister India’s foreign secretary, Vikram Misri, has begun addressing media. He begins by reiterating India’s belief that militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba was responsible for the Pahalgam attack in Kashmir last month. Misri says that the Resistance Front, which claimed the attack, is connected to Lashkar-e-Taiba and claims that “Pakistan links have been established in this attack.” Pakistan has denied any involvement. Misri says India’s attacks overnight were aimed at destroying “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan. This post was corrected. Vikram Misri is the foreign secretary of India, not the foreign minister Indian officials have begun briefing the media on the overnight strikes on Pakistani territory. We’ll bring you more as it arrives. Pakistan’s army chief has said that 26 civilians died in India’s strikes overnight. Additionally, a further 46 were injured. That’s a significant jump from the eight that were being reported earlier in the day. It’s unclear where the deaths are being reported from and if this figure encompasses casualties from cross-border shelling throughout the night. Pakistan’s army chief has said the country will respond to India at a “time, place, means of our own choice”. More on airline cancellations – over two dozen commercial flights have been diverted to avoid Pakistan airspace. Additionally, airlines have cancelled 52 flights to or from Pakistan, according to FlightRadar24. Korean Air says it has begun rerouting its Seoul Incheon-Dubai flights on Wednesday, opting for a southern route that passes over Myanmar, Bangladesh, and India, instead of the previous path through Pakistani airspace. Thai Airways says that flights to destinations in Europe and South Asia would be rerouted starting early on Wednesday morning, warning this could cause delays to some flights. Vietnam Airlines says that the tensions between India and Pakistan have affected its flight plans and would provide details regarding re-routing schedules later. Some flights from India to Europe were also seen taking longer routes. Lufthansa flight LH761 from Delhi to Frankfurt turned right towards the Arabian Sea near the western Indian city of Surat, taking a longer path compared to Tuesday, according to FlightRadar24. For days, residents living on both sides of the volatile border between India and Pakistan, dividing the disputed region of Kashmir, had been bracing themselves for war. In the Chowkibal area, overnight shelling caused widespread panic, prompting mass evacuations to safer locations. “Our entire area was thrown into chaos when multiple artillery shells struck,” said Waheed Ahmad, a Chowkibal resident. “Many families fled under cover of darkness, while authorities helped evacuate others. Although the shelling stopped by morning, people remain fearful, and officials have warned against returning home yet.” In Muzaffarabad, the mountainous capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir which is which is 32km (20 miles) from the line of control, the first bombs fell on the hilltop Bilal Mosque. “I was fast asleep when the first blast shook my home,” Mohammed Waheed told the BBC. “I rushed out into the streets, where I saw others doing the same. Before we could even process what was happening, more missiles struck, causing widespread panic and chaos.” A reminder that we’re expecting a press briefing from India’s ministry of defence, which was scheduled for 10am local time. Local media are reporting that the country’s chief of defence staff is currently briefing defence minister Rajnath Singh. At least eight Indians were killed and 29 others wounded in the town of Poonch in Kashmir, close to the de facto border with Pakistan, a local Indian government official said. Poonch’s local revenue officer Azhar Majid told the AFP news agency that there had been “29 injured and eight deaths”, as Indian and Pakistani forces exchanged heavy artillery fire. It’s not clear whether these deaths are in addition to the three reported earlier by Indian authorities. Ten passenger airline flights between Taiwan and Europe have been affected by the closure of Pakistan air space, airport authorities have said. An EVA Air flight from Vienna to Taipei returned to Vienna, and five China Airlines flights that had departed for Europe stopped in Bangkok, a statement from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport said. China Airlines also canceled a flight that had been scheduled to depart Wednesday morning for London. Three other EVA Air flights between Europe and Taiwan were rerouted but were continuing to their destinations, the statement said. Leaders from India’s opposition National Congress party have expressed support for the operation against targets in Pakistani territory. The party’s president, Mallikarjun Kharg, said “We are extremely proud of our Indian Armed Forces who have stuck terror camps in Pakistan and PoK. We applaud their resolute resolve and courage.” National Unity and solidarity is the need of the hour and the Indian National Congress stands with our Armed Forces. Our leaders have shown the path in past, and National Interest is supreme for us.” Rahul Gandhi, the party’s leader in the lower house of parliament, posted simply “Proud of our Armed Forces. Jai Hind!” China has called on both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and put peace and stability first, its foreign ministry said in response to the military escalation between the countries. The Chinese ministry said in a statement it regrets India’s military action and is concerned about the current situation. Missiles fired from India struck multiple locations across Pakistan, the Associated Press is reporting, damaging at least four mosques and a medical clinic, according to local authorities. One of the missiles hit a mosque in Muridke, a town near the eastern city of Lahore, damaging its structure. In Bahawalpur, another missile struck a mosque adjacent to a religious seminary that once served as the central office of Jaish-e-Mohammed, a militant group outlawed by former President Pervez Musharraf in 2002. Officials say the group has had no operational presence at the site since the ban. Muhammad Sabir, a resident who lives near the damaged Subhan Mosque in Bahawalpur, described the chaos that followed the strike. “I heard three or four loud explosions in a row,” he said. He said he grabbed his family, and “we ran to the nearby fields and lay down.” Police and ambulances arrived shortly afterward, he added. Authorities in Indian-administered Kashmir have closed all schools, colleges and educational institutions in at least seven border areas of the region, officials said. Schools will also remain closed around Srinagar airport, they said. Three fighter jets crashed in India’s Jammu and Kashmir territory on Wednesday, four local government sources told the Reuters news agency, hours after India said it struck Pakistani “terrorist infrastructure” sites across the border. The Pakistani government has said five Indian aircraft had been shot down, a claim not confirmed by India. Pakistan’s federal minister for information, Attaullah Tarar, has told Turkish media that it is too early to talk about Pakistan’s next move and the world would have to wait to see what the National Security Committee decides. The committee is set to meet at 10am local time, 5am GMT. Tarar said Pakistan’s response was “ongoing” and that India would have to “pay the price.” Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the ranking member of the US Senate’s foreign relations committee, has urged restraint, saying she is “gravely concerned by reports of military escalation between India and Pakistan.” The world can ill afford instability in South Asia. The government of Pakistan has claimed that five Indian fighter jets were shot down after strikes against Pakistani territory. Earlier we reported that at least two had been shot down. The Indian government has made no official statement, but earlier an Indian official speaking to Reuters said a fighter jet had crashed in Indian administered Kashmir and the pilot was taken to hospital. Control of Kashmir, in the foothills of the Himalayas, has been disputed since India and Pakistan gained independence from Britain in 1947. Both claim it in full, but each controls a section of the territory, separated by one of the world’s most heavily militarised borders: the “line of control” based on a ceasefire border established after their 1947-48 war. India and Pakistan have gone to war twice since over Kashmir, most recently in 1999. Read more here. We’ve started to receive images of the unknown aircraft that crashed in the outskirts of the main city in Indian-administered Kashmir. Police said the aircraft fell shortly after India launched missile strikes on Pakistan. India’s ministry of defence has announced a press briefing on Operation Sindoor will take place at 10am local time (4.30am GMT) on Wednesday. Local media is reporting that defence minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Army, Air Force and Navy chiefs the strikes on Pakistan territory overnight. An unknown aircraft has crashed on a school building in the outskirts of the main city in Indian-administered Kashmir. Police and residents said the aircraft fell in the early hours of Wednesday, shortly after India launched missile strikes on Pakistan. “There was a huge fire in the sky. Then we heard several blasts also,” said Mohammed Yousuf Dar, a local resident in southern Wuyan village in Pampore area, where the incident occurred. Firefighters reportedly struggled for hours to extinguish the fires. Police and military officials sealed off the area immediately after the incident. An Indian official speaking to Reuters said a fighter jet crashed in Indian administered Kashmir and the pilot was taken to hospital. It’s not clear if this is the same incident as the crash in Wuyan village. Earlier a Pakistani official told the Guardian that at least two jets of the Indian air force had been shot down. US secretary of state Marco Rubio has spoken with his counterparts from India and Pakistan, encouraging both sides to engage in discussions to settle an escalating military confrontation, the White House said late on Tuesday. “He is encouraging India and Pakistan to re-open a channel between their leadership to defuse the situation and prevent further escalation,” said US national security council spokesperson Brian Hughes in a statement. As dawn breaks in Pakistan, we’ve begun to receive new images that show the aftermath of India’s overnight strikes. The Guardian has published video from on the ground, that shows explosions close to the border in Kashmir as India strikes Pakistani territory. South-Asia analyst Michael Kugelman has told the Associated Press that “these are some of the most high-intensity Indian strikes in Pakistan in years, and Pakistan’s response will surely pack a punch as well.” These are two strong militaries that, even with nuclear weapons as a deterrent, are not afraid to deploy sizeable levels of conventional military force against each other. The escalation risks are real. And they could well increase, and quickly.” Kugelman notes that India’s strike on both India’s initial strikes and Pakistan’s response are already “higher up the escalatory ladder than any time in [the 2019] crisis.” In 2019 India conducted air strikes on what it said was a militant training camp near the Pakistani town of Balakot in response to a suicide car bombing in Kashmir’s Pulwama area. Pakistan, which said the planes had bombed an empty hillside and not a camp, launched a retaliatory incursion into Indian airspace that led to a dogfight between the two air forces, leading to the capture of an Indian pilot. The situation cooled after he was released days later. At least eight people, including a child, have been killed and 35 injured after India launched attacks on what it claimed were nine sites of “terrorist infrastructure” inside Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir, in a sharp escalation of hostilities between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Loud explosions were heard early on Wednesday, and power was knocked out in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani Kashmir, witnesses said. In response, Pakistani military spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said at least two Indian air force jets had been shot down, calling India’s strikes a “heinous provocation”. Read our full report here. UK politicians have urged restraint after the strikes from India into Pakistani-controlled territory. Lord Ahmad, who served as South Asia minister under the previous Conservative administration, said the missile strikes were an “alarming escalation”. The potential of a war tonight is real - we need urgent international engagement to prevent a widening of this conflict which carries serious implications not just for the region but for the wider world.” Scotland’s first minister John Swinney said he was “deeply” concerned by the escalation in violence, while Labour MP Stella Creasy warned the “world cannot stand by” as the conflict spirals and the risk of harm to civilians in the region increases. In line with a number of other airline, IndiGo has announced flight cancellations to and from Srinagar, Jammu, Amristar, Leh, Chandigarh, Dharamshala, Bikaner and Jodhpur. The airline has said it anticipates further changes to its schedule. The Indian army has said that three Indian civilians have been killed by shelling from Pakistani troops in Kashmir. There have been multiple reports of exchanges of fire between Indian and Pakistani troops continue across multiple points along the line of control throughout the night. The UK Foreign Office has said that it advises against all travel within 10km of the India-Pakistan border and to the Balochistan province of Pakistan. A statement said: “On the night of 6 May (UK Time), the Indian Ministry of Defence stated it had struck nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. In response, there are reports of Pakistani artillery fire across the Line of Control.” “Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority indicated that it was closing Pakistan airspace for at least 48 hours. There are reports of flights being diverted. British nationals should contact their airline for up-to-date information.” “We are continuing to monitor the situation closely. British nationals should stay up to date with our travel advice and follow the advice of local authorities.” Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated rapidly after the massacre of 25 Indian tourists and a Nepalese citizen in the disputed Himalayan Kashmir region on Tuesday, prompting warnings of a return to conflict. A previously unknown Islamic militant group calling itself the Resistance Front claimed responsibility for the attack, which India immediately linked to Pakistan, although it did not publicly produce any evidence. Pakistan has denied any involvement. Among a string of punitive measures announced since Tuesday, India has downgraded diplomatic ties, suspended a crucial water-sharing treaty and revoked all visas issued to Pakistani nationals. In retaliation, Pakistan has closed its airspace for all Indian-owned or Indian-operated airlines, and suspended all trade with India, including to and from any third country. Why is Kashmir so sensitive? The region, in the foothills of the Himalayas, has been disputed since India and Pakistan came into being in 1947. Both claim it in full, but each controls a section of the territory, separated by one of the world’s most heavily militarised borders: the “line of control” based on a ceasefire border established after the 1947-48 war. China controls another part in the east. India and Pakistan have gone to war a further two times over Kashmir, most recently in 1999. The dispute stems from the partition of colonial India in 1947, when small, semi-autonomous “princely states” across the subcontinent were being folded into India or Pakistan, and the local ruler chose to become part of India despite the fact the area had a Muslim majority. Armed insurgents in Kashmir have resisted Delhi for decades, with many Muslim Kashmiris supporting the rebels’ goal of uniting the territory either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country. India accuses Pakistan of backing militants – a claim Pakistan denies. What has happened in recent years? In 2019 Narendra Modi’s government launched a severe security crackdown in Indian-administered Kashmir and revoked the region’s special status, which had granted it limited autonomy since 1949. The move fulfilled a longstanding Hindu-nationalist pledge and was widely welcomed across India, but angered many in the territory itself. Against a backdrop of widespread repression, insurgent violence tapered off and tourists returned to the region. New rules were implemented that allowed outsiders to buy land in Kashmir for the first time, which many saw as an attempt by the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) to dispossess them from their land and change the Muslim demography of the region. Under its special status Kashmir had been able to define who its permanent residents were, preventing incomers from other parts of India from applying for jobs, scholarships or buying land. With the new domicile rule, India widened who was eligible to live and work in Kashmir, leading to accusations that it was trying to change the demographic make-up of the region. The Resistance Front cited this claim when it claimed Tuesday’s attack. Why has India reacted so forcefully to the Kashmir attack? The attack – in the midst of a visit by the US vice-president, JD Vance – was highly embarrassing for Modi and his BJP party, which has been boasting since 2019 about the success of its security policies in Kashmir. The anger in India has been exacerbated by the sectarian nature of the attack, during which some of the male tourists were reportedly asked to recite Islamic verses to determine who would be killed A Pakistan military spokesperson had told Reuters that exchanges of fire with Indian troops continue across multiple points along the line of control. The same spokesperson has claimed that five Indian aircraft were shot down, but the Guardian has been unable to independently verify this. The spokesperson told Reuters that the Indian planes were shot down by Pakistan while they were in Indian airspace. US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said that he is monitoring the situation between India and Pakistan closely. Rubio has said he will continue to engage both Indian and Pakistani leadership towards a peaceful resolution and echoed President Trump’s comments that “this hopefully ends quickly.” Protests against India have broken out in the Pakistani city of Hyderabad. Indian flags have been defaced as well as images of prime minister Narendra Modi. A Pakistani military spokesperson has told the Reuters and AFP news agencies that the death toll from Indian strikes on Pakistan has risen to eight civilians. Two further people have been reported missing with 35 injured in the strikes. The spokesperson reported up to 24 strikes across six locations. Two Air India international flights en route to Amritsar are being diverted to Delhi, the airline has announced. The airline has said it has cancelled all flights to and from Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Chandigarh and Rajkot until midday local time on Wednesday. Meanwhile, in a statement Qatar Airways says it has temporarily suspended flights to Pakistan. We’re getting some pictures from on the ground in Pakistan-administered Kashmir after India fired missiles at Pakistani territory. A US state department spokesperson has said they are aware of reports of the ongoing attacks but had “no assessment to offer at this time.” This remains an evolving situation and we are closely monitoring developments.” In recent days, Washington has urged the nuclear-armed neighbours to work with each other to de-escalate tensions and arrive at a “responsible solution.” US leaders, including president Donald Trump, offered support to India after the 22 April militant attack in which 26 people were killed. American officials did not directly blame Pakistan. Analysts said last month that Washington may leave India and Pakistan on their own in the early days of the tensions, in part because it already has a lot to deal with, given US involvement in trying to reach diplomatic goals in Russia’s war in Ukraine and Israel’s war in Gaza. Indian airline Spice Jet has said that due to the ongoing situation, “airports in parts of northern India” including Dharamshala, Leh, Jammu, Srinagar and Amritsar are closed. News of the strikes have also hit India’s stock futures with the benchmark NSE Nifty 50 index falling 1.19%. The director general of the media wing of Pakistan’s armed forces has confirmed to the Guardian that at least two jets of the Indian air force have been shot down. “I confirm that we have shot down at least two Indian Air Force jets,” said DG Lt General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry. Separately a senior security official, requesting anonymity, said that the military shot down three Indian jets. “We have shot down one jet in Bathinda, Indian Punjab province bordering with Pakistan Punjab province, and two jets in Indian occupied Kashmir in Awantipora and Akhnoor. They were in their airspace after the attacks and we had fired missiles,” said the official. He added that “India had started the conflict with its attacks on civilians in Pakistan. We had to retaliate. We had to protect our sovereignty.” Cross border firing continues across the line of control between parts of Pakistan and India administered Kashmir, after Indian airstrikes inside Pakistan. Jawad Ahmed Paras, from Neelum Valley in Pakistan administered Kashmir told the Guardian that the cross-border firing is going on without any pause. Mortar shells are being fired from both sides on checkpoints. Paras said “the loud explosions have been heard in the valley since the Indian airstrikes. Everyone is awake and very worried. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow. Some people who had built shelters and bunkers have moved to them. None has seen such severe firings over two decades.” After the Indian airstrikes, we are terrified. We can’t sleep tonight. None can sleep when the mortars are fired and everyone is worried about his life.” The strikes came just hours after Indian prime minister Narendra Modi said that water flowing across India’s borders would be stopped. Pakistan had warned that tampering with the rivers that flow from India into its territory would be an “act of war.” Modi did not mention Islamabad specifically, but his speech came after Delhi suspended its part of the 65-year-old Indus Waters Treaty, which governs water critical to Pakistan for consumption and agriculture. “India’s water used to go outside, now it will flow for India,” Modi said in a speech. The Indus treaty governs the distribution and use of waters from the Indus River and its tributaries, which feed 80% of Pakistan’s irrigated agriculture and its hydropower. As well as suspending the treaty, Delhi has suspended trade with Pakistan, summoned and expelled its diplomats, and suspended visas for Pakistanis. Pakistan has also suspended all trade with India and closed its airspace to Indian airlines. Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi is expected in Delhi on Wednesday, two days after talks in Islamabad with Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif. Tehran has offered to mediate between the two nations, and Araghchi will be the first senior foreign diplomat to visit both countries since the 22 April attack sent relations plunging. If you’re just joining us, India has attacked nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir on Wednesday with at least three deaths reported. Pakistan has said it was mounting a response as the worst fighting in years erupted between the two countries. Armies of the nuclear-armed neighbours have also exchanged intense shelling and heavy gunfire across their frontier in disputed Kashmir in at least three places, police and witnesses told the Reuters news agency. The offensive has occurred amid heightened tensions in the aftermath of an attack on Hindu tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir last month. Islamist assailants killed 26 men in the 22 April attack, the worst such violence targeted at civilians in India in nearly two decades. India said it struck “terrorist infrastructure” where attacks against it were planned and directed. Pakistan’s defence minister has told local media that all sites targeted by India were civilian and not militant camps. Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, has announced a meeting of the national security committee in Islamabad following the strikes. Pakistan’s Minister of defence has confirmed at least three civilians, including a child, were killed after India fired missiles at Pakistani territory, according to AFP. “They have targeted multiple locations, which all are civilian ... We have confirmed reports of three civilians killed that includes one child,” Khawaja Muhammad Asif told AFP. Reuters is reporting that senior Indian officials spoke to counterparts in the US, UK, Saudia Arabia, UAE and Russia to brief them on the steps taken by the military. A diplomatic official has told the news agency that this included a discussion between India’s national security advisor and US secretary of state Marco Rubio after the strikes took place. UN secretary general António Guterres is “very concerned” about the Indian military operations across the line of control and the international border, a spokesperson has said. The UN chief has called for maximum military restrain from both India and Pakistan. “The secretary-general is very concerned about the Indian military operations across the Line of Control and international border. He calls for maximum military restraint from both countries,” the spokesperson said. “The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan.” Reports continue to come in of exchanges of fire between Indian and Pakistani troops across the Line of Control, the de facto border dividing Kashmir between India and Pakistan. Indian police have reportedly claim that two women have been injured in shelling, according to the Reuters news agency. The same source reports “intense shelling” at three places across the Line of Control. Pakistan’s defence minister, Khawaja Asif, confirmed to the Guardian that missiles from Indian airspace had targeted at least seven sites in Pakistan, including at least two in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Asif said that Pakistan would give a massive retaliation to the Indian attacks before sunrise. Asif said: We can confirm at least seven civilian areas have been targeted by Indian missiles fired from Indian airspace. We are in the process of retaliating. You will see Pakistan’s response before the morning. Soon after the missile attacks inside Pakistan, the Indian armed forces confirmed it targeted nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir as part of “Operation Sindoor”. The Indian statement further said that it had targeted “terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed”. The statement said the strike comes in the wake of the “barbaric” attack in which dozens of Indians were murdered in Pahalgam in Kashmir. Pakistan’s defense minister rejected the Indian claims that the Indians had targeted any terrorist infrastructures and he called it a “barbaric attack” on the civilians. Asif said: I invite international and national media to see these sites if they had any terrorists. All targeted sites were civilian sites. India lied about Pakistan’s involvement in the Pahalgam incident. India is lying again that they have targeted terrorist infrastructures. Residents in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Kupwara district reported an exchange of fire between Indian and Pakistani troops on the Line of Control, the de facto border dividing Kashmir between India and Pakistan. Haji Sanaullah told the Guardian: We are hearing constant loud bangs and some shells have landed near civilian areas. “No one has been hurt so far,” they added. The chief minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, has declared a state of emergency across the province. All doctors and medical staff in Punjab’s hospitals have had their leave cancelled, and have been directed to report to duty immediately. Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, has announced a meeting of the national security committee in Islamabad following the Indian missile attack on Pakistan-administered territory. The meeting has been scheduled for 10am local time, Geo TV is reporting, citing Pakistan’s information minister, Attaullah Tarar. We reported earlier that Pakistan’s security sources said it shot down two Indian jets in retaliation for the Indian strikes on Pakistan-administered territory. Samaa TV, citing Pakistan’s security sources, reports that a Rafale fighter jet belonging to the Indian air force was shot down near Ahmedpur East in Bahawalpur. Pakistan’s defence minister, Khawaja Asif, has said “civilians were killed, including women and children” in the Indian attack on the Pakistan-administered territory. Asif, speaking to Geo News, described the Indian attack as cowardly and covert and said it had targeted a civilian population. India’s claims that it targeted “terrorist camps” are false, he added. Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, said India has carried out “cowardly” attacks on five locations in Pakistan-administered territory. In a statement posted to X, Sharif said: Pakistan has every right to respond forcefully to this act of war imposed by India, and a forceful response is being given. He said the “entire nation” stands with Pakistan’s armed forces on “how to deal with the enemy”. Pakistan’s air force has shot down two Indian jets in retaliation for the strikes on Pakistani-administered territory, according to Pakistan security sources. A statement from Pakistan’s state broadcaster PTV says Pakistani forces are responding “forcefully” to India’s “aggression”. All Pakistani air force aircraft are safe, it says, citing security sources, adding: Pakistan armed forces are giving a befitting reply to the enemy’s aggression. India has fired at least three missiles from its airspace to three cities including two cities of the Pakistan-administered Kashmir, killing at least two civilians and injuring more than a dozen, as per the initial updates says the director general (DG) of Pakistan’s armed forces media wing. Pictures shared on social media showed a bloodied child lying dead and seriously injured in a pool of blood on stretchers. In a video widely shared on Twitter/X, a huge blast lights up the area with thunderous sound and smoke billowing. The missile attacks were reported around 1 am local time. DG of Pakistan’s armed forces Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that Pakistan will give a befitting response to the “cowardly” attacks on civilians by India. A few hours before the attacks, Pakistan’s defence minister, Khawaja Asif, said a clash with India “can happen anytime” as tensions between the nuclear-armed states increased between the two countries in the wake of the 22 April militant attack in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, in which 26 people were killed. India had blamed Pakistan for the terrorist attack. Islamabad had rejected New Delhi’s accusations and asked for a transparent investigation. US president Donald Trump was just asked about the Indian missile strikes into Pakistani-administered territory. “It’s a shame,” Trump told reporters. “We just heard about it.” He said “people knew something was going to happen based on the past” because both sides have been fighting “for many, many decades and centuries.” “I just hope it ends very quickly,” Trump added. An initial damage assessment of the Indian missile strikes shows at least three people were killed and 12 others injured in missile strikes by India in Pakistani-administered territory, a Pakistan military spokesperson has said. Kotli, Bahawalpur’s Ahmedpur East, Bagh, Muzaffarabad and Muridke were struck in the attack, Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told Geo News, Dawn newspaper reports. It cites him as saying: In Ahmedpur East, we have information about the martyrdom of a child and 12 people injured … Two civilians were martyred in Kotli. Dawn also quotes the Pakistan military spokesperson as saying: We know that a mosque was struck [in Ahmedpur]; ordinance landed on a house near it … Parents and a child are stuck and being rescued. India’s armed forces have said Pakistan has “again violate[d] the ceasefire agreement by firing artillery in Bhimber Gali in Poonch-Rajauri area”. The Indian army is “responding appropriately in a [calibrated] manner”, it says in a post on X. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) said all domestic and international flights on the ground have been put on hold. All inbound and outbound flights are being diverted to Karachi, it said. Authorities have advised passengers not to come to the airport and to return home. At least one child was killed and two others wounded after India fired missiles across the border into Pakistan-administered territory early on Wednesday, Pakistani security officials said. Dawn newspaper cites a statement by Pakistan’s state broadcaster PTV News: In the cowardly attack, one innocent child has been martyred so far, while one woman and one man are seriously injured. Here’s more from the Pakistan military spokesperson, who said India fired missiles across the border in three locations on Wednesday. ARY News, citing Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, says India fired missiles from its airspace which hit areas in Kotli, Muzaffarabad and Bahawalpur. The spokesperson said Pakistan’s air force responded quickly to the missile attack, activating its defense systems and preventing any Indian aircraft from penetrating Pakistani airspace. Dawn newspaper cites Chaudhry as saying: Let me say it unequivocally: Pakistan will respond to this at a time and place of its own choosing. This heinous provocation will not go unanswered. We reported earlier that the Indian armed forces said it targeted nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian army has also posted to X, writing “Justice is Served” and “Jai Hind!”, meaning “victory to India”. The post is accompanied by the hashtag #PahalgamTerrorAttack, referring to the deadly militant attack last month that killed 26 people. Multiple loud explosions were heard in the mountains around the city of Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistani Kashmir, as well as in two other places in the region, Reuters reported, citing witnesses and a Pakistani TV channel. After the explosions, Muzaffarabad’s power was blacked out, the witnesses said. The Indian armed forces have confirmed it targeted nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir as part of “Operation Sindoor”. A statement from the Indian armed forces reads: A little while ago, the Indian Armed Forces launched ‘OPERATION SINDOOR’, hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed. Altogether, nine (9) sites have been targeted. It said its actions have been “focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature” and that no Pakistani military facilities were targeted, adding: India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution. The statement says the strike comes in the wake of the “barbaric” attack in which dozens of Indians were murdered in Pahalgam in Kashmir. A Pakistani military spokesperson has said India attacked Pakistan in three locations with missiles on Wednesday. Multiple loud explosions were heard in the Pakistani Kashmir area close to the mountains around the city of Muzaffarabad after midnight on Tuesday, Reuters reports, citing multiple witnesses. After the explosions, the city’s power was blacked out, according to the witnesses. It comes amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan following an attack in Kashmir last month, which left 26 Indian nationals killed and 10 injured after suspected militants opened fire at a popular local tourist destination.