Indian airstrikes on Pakistan territory kill at least eight people
India said three civilians were killed in shelling by Pakistani troops in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
Indian missiles fired into Pakistani-controlled territory in several locations early on Wednesday have killed at least eight people, Pakistani authorities said.
India, which said it was striking infrastructure used by militants, said three civilians were killed in shelling by Pakistani troops in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
Tensions have soared between the nuclear-armed neighbours since last month’s massacre of tourists in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir.
India has blamed Pakistan for backing the militant attack, which Islamabad has denied.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned Wednesday’s airstrikes and 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,” Mr Sharif said.
He said his country and its armed forces “know very well how to deal with the enemy”.
Pakistan’s military spokesperson Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif said India launched attacks on six different locations, killing eight people and injuring 38 others.
The missiles struck locations in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and in the country’s eastern Punjab province. One hit a mosque in the city of Bahawalpur in Punjab, where a child was killed and a woman and man were injured.
State-run Pakistan Television, quoting security officials, said the country’s air force shot down three Indian jets in retaliation but provided no additional detail. There was no immediate comment from India about Pakistan’s claim.
Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said Indian forces had launched the strikes while staying in Indian airspace. Other locations hit were near Muridke in Punjab and Kotli in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.
It said the attack resulted in civilian casualties and posed a significant threat to commercial air traffic.
“This reckless escalation has brought the two nuclear-armed states closer to a major conflict,” the statement said.
The Indian army said in a statement the Pakistani army “resorted to arbitrary firing”, including gunfire and artillery shelling, across the Line of Control, the de facto border that divides disputed Kashmir between the two countries, and their international border.
The statement said the army was “responding in a proportionate manner”.
India’s Defence Ministry said at least nine sites were targeted “where terrorist attacks against India have been planned”.
“Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistan military facilities have been targeted,” the statement said, adding that “India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution”.
“We are living up to the commitment that those responsible for this attack will be held accountable,” the statement said.
India’s armed forces used precision strike weapon systems to carry out the strikes, which targeted the headquarters of militant groups Jaish-e-Mohammed in Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba in Muridke, according to officials.
Pakistan’s prime minister has convened a meeting of the National Security Committee for Wednesday morning.
United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement late on Tuesday that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was “very concerned about the Indian military operations across the Line of Control and international border” and called for maximum military restraint from both countries.
“The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan,” the statement read.
In Muzaffarabad, the main city of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, resident Abdul Sammad, said he heard several explosions and that some people were wounded in the attack. People were seen running in panic and authorities immediately cut the power, leading to a blackout.
Waqar Noor, the region’s interior minister, said authorities have declared an emergency in the region’s hospitals.
Pakistan shut schools in Kashmir and Punjab province after the missile strikes. It had already had closed religious seminaries in Kashmir in anticipation of an attack by India.
Along the Line of Control there were heavy exchanges of fire between both armies.
