India fired missiles into Pakistani-controlled territory in several locations early Wednesday, as the overall death toll increased to 31 people in what Pakistan’s leader called an act of war. India also claims there are casualties from Pakistani fire in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir.
India said it struck infrastructure used by militants linked to last month’s massacre of tourists in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir. At least seven people died in Indian-controlled Kashmir from artillery exchanges.
Pakistan said at 26 people died in the missiles strikes and five from artillery exchange along the Line of Control that separates the two countries in Kashmir. It said another 5 were killed in artillery fire near the Line of Control.
Pakistan claimed it shot down several Indian aircraft in retaliation, including three top-line fighter jets. Two planes fell onto villages in India-controlled Kashmir. One fell in northern Punjab state.
Tensions have soared between the nuclear-armed neighbors over last month’s militant attack on tourists in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir.
India has moved to punish Pakistan after accusing it of backing the attack in Pahalgam, which Islamabad denies. The region has been split between India and Pakistan since 1949 and is claimed by both in its entirety.
Here's the latest:
Pakistan's prime minister praises military response to Indian jets
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday commended Pakistan’s armed forces for their response to an attempted overnight incursion by Indian fighter jets, claiming that five Indian aircraft were downed after they released their payloads from Indian airspace.
In a speech to Parliament, Sharif said the Pakistan Air Force had been on high alert since India falsely tried to implicate Pakistan in the April 22 attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir.
He said that though he offered an international probe into the attack, New Delhi did not respond to the proposal.
Sharif also claimed that on the night of April 29, Indian Rafale jets took off in a combat formation, but Pakistan successfully jammed their communications.
“The enemy couldn’t even understand what had happened to them” and the Indian jets turned back, Sharif said.
Think tank warned recently of India-Pakistan nuclear threat
India’s and Pakistan’s ownership of nuclear weapons has deepened international worries about the longstanding rivalry and hostility between the two neighbors. At a nuclear conference in Washington last month, Dame Louise Richardson, president of the Carnegie Corporation, a leading private supporter of nuclear security efforts, singled out the Pakistan-India nuclear threat as one of the gravest in the world.
While nuclear arms programs by the world’s leading economies get most of the attention, “if I were a betting person I would say that the odds are of a first new nuclear detonation occurring in one of the other areas, say, India-Pakistan,” Richardson said then.
India says its strikes on Pakistan were to avenge innocents
Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said Wednesday his government had exercised its “right to respond” while launching strikes in Pakistan to avenge the killings of innocent civilians on Indian soil last month.
“We killed only those who killed our innocents,” Singh said at a public program. “Our strike was well-planned and executed with precision and sensitiveness. It was restricted to terror targets and dismantling terror infrastructure.”
China says it is ready to play a role in easing tensions
China expressed “regret” over military action taken by India on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said during a regular press briefing in Beijing.
“India and Pakistan are neighbors that cannot be moved, and both are also neighbors of China,” Lin said. “China opposes all forms of terrorism and calls on both India and Pakistan to prioritize peace and stability, remain calm and exercise restraint, and avoid actions that could further complicate the situation.
“We are willing to work with the international community to continue playing a constructive role in easing the current tensions,” he added.
Britain urges Pakistan and India to talk directly and show restraint
Britain is urging Pakistan and India to talk to one another over their soaring tensions, saying “nobody wins” from further escalation.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer says the U.K. is “engaging urgently with both countries … encouraging dialogue, de-escalation and the protection of civilians.”
“The U.K. government is urging India and Pakistan to show restraint and engage in direct dialogue to find a swift, diplomatic path forward," Foreign Secretary David Lammy said.
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.”
Britain is advising its citizens against traveling to the border area between India and Pakistan or to the contested Kashmir region.
Indian PM postpones trip to Norway, Croatia and the Netherlands
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has postponed his upcoming official trip to Norway, Croatia and the Netherlands amid rising tensions with Pakistan. His trip was originally scheduled to start next week.
Pakistan’s top political and military leaders condemn Indian airstrikes, reserve the right to respond
Pakistan’s top political and military leaders on Wednesday condemned Indian airstrikes that they said killed 26 people.
The National Security Committee, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, said in a statement that 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,” the statement said.
Pakistan’s military responded to the strikes, the statement added, by downing five Indian fighter jets and surveillance aircraft.
The government said Pakistan reserves the right to respond “in self-defense, at a time, place, and manner of its choosing” and that the armed forces have been authorized to take “corresponding actions” to avenge what it called a violation of the country’s sovereignty.
Indian military says attack lasted 25 minutes, says it showed restraint
Col. Sofiya Qureshi, an Indian army officer, said the Indian missile strikes started at 1.05 am and lasted for about 25 minutes. She said no military installations were targeted.
These military strikes were designed “to deliver justice to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and their families,” she said.
Another officer, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, said the strikes were undertaken through “precision capability” so that there was “no collateral damage.”
“India has demonstrated considerable restraint in its response,” she said. “However, it must be said that the Indian armed forces are fully prepared respond to Pakistani misadventures if any that will escalate the situation.”
AP Photographer documents aircraft debris on school building in outskirts of Srinagar
Shortly after India said it fired missiles across the border into Pakistani-controlled territory, AP photojournalist Dar Yasin received reports of a burning aircraft in the outskirts of Srinagar, the main city in Indian-controlled Kashmir. It was still night and Yasin rushed to southern Wuyan village in Pampore area, where the incident occurred. At first, Indian forces did not allow him to reach the accident site. By the time he managed to find his way to the debris the sun was out. Dar saw few broken tree branches and mangled tin sheets of a school’s roof that was damaged by the aircraft’s impact and quicky began taking pictures. Dar said Indian forces did not allow him and other journalists to go near the debris. Later, local residents told him parts of the aircraft were also lying scattered some 500 meters away inside a mosque compound. Dar swiftly rushed to the second site and managed to get pictures of parts of the wreckage before Indian forces cordoned off the area. It is unclear whether the aircraft broke mid air or after falling on the ground. “Locals told me they saw a huge ball of fire emerging from the accident site and the wreckage was burning for more than an hours,” Dar said from the crash site. He said firefighters struggled to douse the resulting fires and worried onlookers captured the plane’s burning wreckage on their smartphones. Police and military officials later sealed off the area to clear the debris, Dar said.
Several Indian states hold security drills
Several Indian states will be conducting security drills on Wednesday, as fears of a wider conflict mount after India’s strikes in Pakistan.
The mock security drills were announced by India’s home ministry on Monday. The drills will include air raid warning sirens, evacuation plans, preparation for blackouts, and training people to respond in case of any “hostile attacks,” the ministry said in a statement.
Pakistan summons India’s chargé d’affaires called in for protest
Pakistan on Wednesday summoned India’s chargé d’affaires to lodge a strong protest over what it called “unprovoked Indian strikes at multiple locations” across Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
In a statement, it said the strikes resulted in the deaths and injuries of several civilians, including women and children.
The Indian diplomat was told that “India’s blatant act of aggression constitutes a clear violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty,” the statement said.
It said the Indian side was warned that such “reckless behaviour” poses a serious threat to regional peace and stability.
Third aircraft crashes in India’s northern Punjab state
A third aircraft fell in a farm field in India’s northern Punjab state, a police office told AP on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media. The officer did not provide further details.
___
By Associated Press Writer Sheikh Saaliq
Indian Foreign Secretary says strikes were preemptive after indications that new attacks planned
Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in a news briefing in New Delhi accused Pakistan of failing to take “demonstrable steps” against “terrorist infrastructure on its territory or on territory under its control” following the April 22 attack.
He said the attack was driven “by the objective of undermining the normalcy returning” to Indian-controlled Kashmir. “Instead, all it has indulged in is denial and allegations,” Misri said and added that Pakistan also had “well-deserved reputation as a haven for terrorists around the world.”
“Pakistan based terrorist modules indicated that further attacks against India were impending. There was thus a compulsion both to deter and to preempt,” he said.
Pakistan says it shot down five Indian fighter jets
Pakistan’s military said Wednesday its air force shot down five Indian fighter jets, including three Rafale aircraft. he said at least 31 people had been killed around the country from the strikes and artillery exchanges.
Military spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif said the jets were downed from within Pakistani airspace in response to the strikes, which killed 26 civilians, women and children in multiple locations across the country, including women and children, in multiple locations across the country.
He said another five civilians were also killed along the Line of Control because of the shelling by the Indian force in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
He said Pakistan returned fire and destroyed some Indian posts. Indian police and medics said at least seven civilians were killed and 30 others wounded in the Pakistani firing.
Sharif also accused Indian forces of damaging infrastructure at a dam in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, calling it a violation of international norms.
“Pakistan is responding to the Indian aggression,” he said.
Indian police and medics say Pakistani artillery fire kills at least 7, wounds 30
Indian police and medics said at least seven civilians were killed and 30 others wounded in the 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 militarized 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.”
Fighting disrupts flights between Taiwan and Europe
Ten passenger airline flights between Taiwan and Europe have been affected by the closure of Pakistan air space, airport authorities said Wednesday.
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.
China calls on Indian and Pakistan to show restraint
Beijing called on restraint from both sides Wednesday morning following India’s strike into Pakistan.
“China expresses regret over India’s military actions this morning and is concerned about the current developments. China opposes all forms of terrorism,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said in a statement. “We call on both India and Pakistan to prioritize peace and stability, remain calm and restrained, and avoid taking actions that further complicate the situation.”
Beijing is the largest investor in Pakistan by far, with a $65 billion China–Pakistan Economic Corridor project that spans across the country. China meanwhile also has multiple border claims disputed with India, with one of those claims in the northeastern part of the Kashmir region
Pakistani official says Indian missile strike on Bahawalpur mosque killed 13, including women and children
Zohaib Ahmed, a doctor at a hospital, said the death toll from the Indian missile strike on the Subhan Mosque in Bahawalpur has jumped to 13, bringing the overall death toll from the Indian strikes across the country to 19.
Six people were killed in the Indian strikes and shelling in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, according to security officials. India said it struck infrastructure used by militants linked to last month’s massacre of tourists in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir. At least three civilians were also killed in Indian-controlled Kashmir by Pakistani shelling, the Indian army said in a statement.
Missiles fired from India struck multiple locations across Pakistan
Missiles fired from India struck multiple locations across Pakistan, damaging at least four mosques and a medical clinic, authorities said. One of the missiles hit a mosque in Muridke, a town near the eastern city of Lahore, damaging its structure.
A sprawling building located near the mosque in Muridke had previously served as the headquarters of Lashkar-e-Taiba until 2013, when Pakistan banned the group and took control of the seminaries, schools, and dispensaries run by a charity linked to LeT founder Hafiz Saeed.
Saeed is currently serving multiple prison sentences on terror financing charges.
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.
Schools closed in Indian-controlled Kashmir
Authorities in Indian-controlled 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.
Second aircraft reported to have crashed in Indian-controlled Kashmir
Another aircraft has reportedly crashed in an open field in a village close to the Line of Control in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
Residents said the aircraft fell shortly after India launched missile strikes on Pakistan on early Wednesday.
Sachin Kumar, a local villager, told the Associated Press that he heard massive blasts followed by a huge ball of fire that lit his village, Bhardha Kalan near southern Akhnoor town.
Kumar said he and some villagers rushed to the scene and found two pilots in injured condition. Both were later taken away by the Indian army.
Aircraft crashes on a school building in the outskirts of main city in Indian-controlled Kashmir
An unknown aircraft has crashed on a school building in the outskirts of the main city in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
Police and residents said the aircraft fell in the early hours 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 struggled for hours to extinguish the fires. Police and military officials sealed off the area immediately after the incident.
India says Pakistani army shelling kills 3
India’s army says three civilians were killed in Pakistani shelling into Indian-controlled Kashmir.
It says the Pakistani army “resorted to arbitrary firing” across the de facto border that divides disputed Kashmir between the two countries.
Pakistan tells UN it reserves right to respond
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says Islamabad has informed the U.N. Security Council about the Indian attacks and the threat it poses to international peace and security.
The ministry says in a statement that the Security Council was told that “Pakistan reserves the right to respond appropriately to this aggression at a time and place of its choosing.”
Officials say India used precision strike weapons systems
Indian security officials say that army, navy and air force personnel used precision strike weapon systems, including drones, to carry out the strikes.
The officials said that intelligence agencies provided coordinates for the strikes and that all operations were executed from Indian territory.
The officials said the strikes targeted the headquarters of militant groups Jaish-e-Mohammed in Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba in Muridke.
Rubio says he hopes the latest conflict ends quickly
The U.S. secretary of state says in a post on X that “I am monitoring the situation between India and Pakistan closely.”
Rubio continued: “I echo @POTUS’s comments earlier today that this hopefully ends quickly and will continue to engage both Indian and Pakistani leadership towards a peaceful resolution.”
Trump said earlier Tuesday that he hopes the fighting “ends very quickly” and called it “a shame.”
Indian official says Prime Minister Modi monitored the operation
An Indian official says Prime Minister Narendra Modi monitored the operation against Pakistan through the night.
The government official says there were nine targets that were hit “successfully.”
The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he wasn’t authorized to disclose details.
Pakistani official says eight killed and dozens injured
Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif, Pakistan’s military spokesperson, says India attacked six locations, killing eight people and injuring 38 others.
He said in televised remarks that five civilians were killed in Ahmedpur East in Punjab province and that three people were killed at other locations.
Sharig says that “retaliatory action is being taken in response to the enemy’s attacks.”
Emergency declared in hospitals in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir
Waqar Noor, the region’s interior minister, says authorities have declared an emergency in local hospitals.
In Muzaffarabad, the main city of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, resident Abdul Sammad says he heard several explosions and that some people were wounded in the attack.
He says people were running in panic and that authorities immediately cut the power, leading to a blackout.
Indian police say a woman is killed and a girl is injured during border fight
Police say a woman was killed and a girl was wounded in Indian-controlled Kashmir when Indian and Pakistani soldiers exchanged mortar and gunfire at several places along the highly militarized frontier.
A local doctor says the woman was killed in the Mankote area of the Poonch district.
The doctor spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media.
India says official spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio
India’s embassy in Washington says that Ajit Doval, the country’s national security adviser, has spoken U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio shortly after the Indian strikes.
The Embassy says in a statement that India’s actions “were measured, responsible and designed to be non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani civilian, economic or military targets have been hit. Only known terror camps were targeted.”
Pakistan says a child was killed and 2 people injured in attack
A Pakistani official says one missile struck a mosque in the city of Bahawalpur in Punjab, where a child was killed and a woman and man were injured.
The official and others say Pakistan launched retaliatory strikes but didn’t provide any details.
They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
Pakistan condemns what it calls Indian Air Force strikes on civilian areas
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned what it calls a “blatant and unprovoked act of aggression” on civilian areas by the Indian Air Force.
It said Indian aircraft lunched strikes from Indian airspace, targeting civilian areas in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and in Punjab province.
The ministry said in a statement that the attack reportedly resulted in civilian casualties, including women and children, and posed a significant threat to commercial air traffic. UN secretary-general calls for restraint
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement that Secretary General Antonio Guterres is calling for restraint from both countries.
“The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan,” the statement read.
Pakistan’s defense minister condemns what he calls a ‘cowardly act’
Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif has strongly condemned what he calls a “cowardly act by India.”
He told Pakistan’s Geo news channel that India had deliberately targeted civilian populations and a mosque.
“This was a cowardly move by India,” Asif said. “We will also respond.”
Indian army says Pakistan fired artillery along the border
The Indian army says in a statement that Pakistan fired artillery along what’s known as the de facto border, or the Line of Control, in Bhimber Gali in India-controlled Kashmir.
It said India’s armed forces were “responding appropriately in a calibrated manner.”
Pakistan’s Sharif convenes national security committee
Pakistan’s prime minister has convened a meeting of the National Security Committee on Wednesday morning, according to a government announcement.
Pakistan's prime minister calls Indian action an ‘act of war’
In a statement, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that “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 the entire nation stands with the Pakistan Armed Forces, and the morale and spirit of the Pakistani people are high.
“The Pakistani nation and the Pakistan Armed Forces know very well how to deal with the enemy,” he said. “We will never let the enemy succeed in its nefarious objectives.”
