The Pakistani Air Force has downed three Indian Air Force jets, Pakistani authorities reported, following missile strikes by New Delhi.
Earlier, India launched missile attacks targeting several cities in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the spokesman for Pakistan’s military, said India had fired missiles on the cities of Bahawalpur, Muridke, Bagh, Muzaffarabad and Kotli from its air space.
He confirmed at least three deaths and more than a dozen injuries.
Pakistani information Minister Attaullah Tarar told the BBC: “The Indian Air Force, a couple of hours back, attacked civilian populations and a mosque at five locations in Pakistan. We have casualties of women and children because it was a civilian population.
“Pakistan has responded back in retaliation to this Indian aggression. We shot down three Indian planes, one in Akhnoor, one in Ambala, one near Jammu, and we’ve shot down an Indian drone and multiple quadcopters because we were foreseeing this. We were ready for an attack.
“After the Pahalgam incident, we had offered India a transparent and impartial investigation into the matter, but we had received no response. And it’s unfair to link Pakistan to the Pahalgam incident because India could not provide any evidence.”
Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated on the latest news and updates from around the Muslim world!
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep concern over recent missile attacks by India against 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,” said his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric in a statement.
“The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan,” he added.
The escalation between the nuclear-armed neighbours comes in the wake of an April 22 attack in Pahalgam, Indian-occupied Kashmir in which 26 people were killed. India blamed Pakistan for the attack, claiming there were cross-border links.
Pakistan denied that it had anything to do with the killings.
Both countries have taken diplomatic measures against each other, including canceling visas for each other’s citizens and recalling some diplomatic staff.
India also suspended its participation in the Indus Waters Treaty, a 1960 water use and distribution agreement with Pakistan.
In recent days, many countries, including the US, have contacted the leaders of both countries in an attempt to ease tensions.
More to follow…
