The Indian army announced that its Pakistani counterpart shelled areas in Indian-administered Kashmir with artillery shortly after India launched missile strikes on Tuesday evening. The Indian army said in a statement on its X platform that "Pakistan has once again violated the ceasefire agreement by shelling the Bhimber Gali and Poonch Rajouri sectors" in Indian-administered Kashmir, adding that it "responded appropriately and measuredly."
Pakistan's Director General of Public Relations, Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry, said Tuesday that his country would respond to Indian missile attacks at a time and place of its choosing. Chaudhry explained that the Indian attacks targeted the cities of Kotli and Muzaffarabad in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Bahawalpur in Punjab, and that a mosque was also targeted.
He noted that no military facility was targeted in the attack, adding, "Pakistan will respond to this attack at a time and place of its choosing, and this provocation will not go unanswered." Chaudhry added, "The temporary happiness India gained through this cowardly attack will turn into permanent sorrow."
For his part, the Pakistani military spokesman said his army's response to the Indian missile attack on sites in Pakistan on Tuesday evening would be "firm and comprehensive." He confirmed that at least three people were killed and 12 others were injured, before announcing a higher death toll. Reuters quoted a Pakistani regional official as saying that a state of emergency had been declared in Punjab province.
Pakistan denies India's allegations
In this context, Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said that India fired missiles from its airspace, and that "India's claim that it targeted terrorist camps is false." The minister stated that all the targets struck by India were civilian areas, not militant camps, noting that India lost five aircraft.
“We captured some Indian soldiers and shot down five Indian aircraft,” Bloomberg quoted the Pakistani defense minister as saying. “We will certainly talk to India if these hostilities stop. We don’t want the situation to escalate, but if any hostile actions are taken by India, we will have to respond.”
Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar asserted that "India's aggression constitutes a blatant violation of Pakistan's sovereignty." In a post on his X account on Wednesday, Dar condemned India's missile attacks on his country, saying, "Pakistan strongly condemns India's aggression, which constitutes a blatant violation of Pakistan's sovereignty, the UN Charter, and international law."
Dar emphasized that "the attack threatens regional peace," and that Pakistan reserves the right to respond to the attack. He affirmed that Islamabad will defend the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity by all means.
In a related context, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry confirmed in a statement that India had "violated Pakistan's sovereignty" and considered the attack a "dangerous escalation." The statement noted that the attacks targeted civilians, warning that "India's reckless actions have brought two nuclear-armed states closer to a major conflict."
Pakistani security sources said the country's military shot down two Indian warplanes in response to Indian missile attacks. Pakistan's official PTV News channel quoted the sources on Wednesday as saying that the operation to retaliate against the Indian missile attacks resulted in the downing of two Indian warplanes.
She added: "All PAF aircraft are safe, and the Pakistan Armed Forces are responding appropriately to the enemy's aggression."
According to the same sources, the Pakistani army targeted an Indian military unit headquarters as part of the retaliatory operation, without revealing the location. The sources reported that an Indian observation post was destroyed with a missile in the Dodhnial area, near the Line of Control between Pakistan and India. Pakistan's Sama TV reported that Islamabad closed its airspace for 48 hours and suspended all domestic and international flights.
Earlier, Reuters quoted police as saying that heavy shelling occurred between Indian and Pakistani forces at three locations across the border in Kashmir. Pakistani television also quoted security officials as saying that the Pakistani Air Force had shot down two Indian fighter jets and a drone. Meanwhile, Indian airline SpiceJet confirmed that airports in parts of the north of the country had been closed due to the situation.
The Indian Army announced the launch of a military operation against "targets" in Pakistan and the Azad Kashmir region under its control. The Indian Army's media office stated in a statement on Tuesday that the operation targeted nine areas, stressing that "Pakistani military installations were not targeted."
Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated on April 22, after gunmen opened fire on tourists in the Pahalgam area of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, killing 26 people and wounding others. Indian officials said the attackers "came from Pakistan," while Islamabad accused India of waging a disinformation campaign against it.
Following the attack, India decided to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, a treaty on the division of waters, and ordered Pakistani diplomats in New Delhi to leave the country within a week. Pakistan denied India's accusations, restricted the number of Indian diplomatic personnel in Islamabad, declared that it would consider any interference with rivers outside the Indus Waters Treaty an "act of war." It suspended all trade with India and closed its airspace to India.
