Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif early Wednesday termed the Indian missile strikes on terror targets in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Punjab province as an “act of war” and said his country has every right to give a “befitting reply.” In retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack, Indian armed forces carried out missile strikes early Wednesday, hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed, the Indian Army said.
Pakistan Army spokesman Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said at least eight people were killed and 35 others injured in Indian missile attacks on cities in Punjab and PoK, Geo News reported.
Prime Minister Sharif said that India carried out attacks at five places in Pakistan. “Pakistan has every right to give a befitting reply to this act of war imposed by India, and a strong response is indeed being given,” Sharif said in a statement.Sharif said his armed forces “know very well how to deal with the enemy”.
“We will never let the enemy succeed in its nefarious objectives,” he added.The Prime Minister has summoned a meeting of the National Security Council at 10 am. Pakistan has closed its airspace for all air traffic for 48 hours.Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar termed the Indian strikes as a “flagrant violation” of Pakistan’s sovereignty, the UN Charter & international law.“It has jeopardised regional peace,” he said in a statement on X.In a statement, the Foreign Office termed the strikes by the “Indian Air Force, while remaining within Indian airspace,” as an “unprovoked and blatant act of war”.“We will respond with full force. We will pay off this debt in the manner such debt is paid,” Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told Geo News.He said Pakistan’s response would be both kinetic and diplomatic, and it would not take long to retaliate to the Indian attack.“All places are open for the international media to verify if they targeted terrorists’ camps or civilians,” he said.Officials said that the Indian strikes targeted five places in Kotli, Muzaffarabad, and Bagh in PoK and in the Bahawalpur and Muridke areas of Punjab.India launched air strikes on the Subhanullah mosque in Bahwalpur’s Ahmed East area, Kotli and Muzaffarabad at three places from the air, the army spokesman told ARY News channel.“All of our air force jets are airborne. This cowardly and shameful attack was carried out from within India’s airspace. They were never allowed to come and intrude into the space of Pakistan,” he said.“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,” he added.This “temporary happiness” that India has achieved with this attack will be replaced with enduring grief, he said.Ties between India and Pakistan plummeted following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 that killed 26 people, mostly tourists.India announced a raft of punitive measures against Pakistan, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, shutting down of the only operational land border crossing at Attari and downgrading of diplomatic ties following the terror attack.Prime Minister Narendra Modi had told the top defence brass that the armed forces have “complete operational freedom” to decide on the mode, targets and timing of India’s response to the attack.