India fired missiles at multiple locations in Pakistani-controlled territory early Wednesday — killing at least eight people including a child according to Pakistan’s military spokesperson, which that country’s leader called an act of war.
At least three civilians were also killed in retaliatory shelling by Pakistani troops into Indian-controlled Kashmir, the Indian army said in a statement.
India said it was striking infrastructure used by militants linked to last month’s massacre of tourists in its portion of Kashmir.
Tensions have soared between the nuclear-armed neighbours since that attack, which India has blamed Pakistan for backing. Islamabad has denied the accusation.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned Wednesday’s airstrikes and said the “deceitful enemy has carried out cowardly attacks” 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,” Sharif said.
India fired missiles into Pakistan and Pakistani-controlled territory in multiple locations early Wednesday, killing at least eight people including a child, Pakistani authorities said. India said it was striking infrastructure used by militants.
He said his country and its armed forces “know very well how to deal with the enemy.” Sharif has convened a meeting of the National Security Committee for Wednesday morning.
The missiles struck locations in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and in the country’s eastern Punjab province.
Pakistan’s military spokesperson, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif, said India launched attacks on six different 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.
The state-run Pakistan Television, quoting security officials, said Pakistan’s air force shot down five Indian jets but provided no additional details. There was no immediate comment from India about Pakistan’s claim.
Shortly after the attacks, an aircraft fell on a school building in the outskirts of the main city in Indian-controlled Kashmir, according to Srinagar police and residents.
“There was a huge fire in the sky. Then we heard several blasts also,” said Mohammed Yousuf Dar, a resident of southern Wuyan village in the Pampore area, where the incident occurred.
Firefighters struggled for hours to douse off the fires. Police and military officials sealed off the area immediately.
Another aircraft fell in an open field in the village of Bharda Kalan near southern Akhnoor town, close to the Line of Control in Indian-controlled Kashmir shortly after the strikes.
Village resident Sachin Kumar told The Associated Press that he heard massive blasts followed by a huge ball of fire.
Kumar said he and and several other villagers rushed to the scene and found two pilots with injuries. Both were later taken away by the Indian army.
A deadly militant attack targeting tourists in the disputed territory of Kashmir has added fuel to longstanding tensions between India and Pakistan, pushing them to the brink of war. CBC’s South Asia correspondent Salimah Shivji breaks down why the attack has stoked fears of wider conflict between two nuclear powers.
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 reportedly 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.
Several airlines including India’s largest airline, IndiGo, Air India and Qatar Airways cancelled flights in areas of India and Pakistan due to closures of airports and airspace.
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, which targeted the headquarters of militant groups Jaish-e-Mohammed in Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba in Muridke, according to officials.
Amitabh Mattoo, the founding director of the Australia India Institute, said that India’s government has been under increasing pressure to respond to attacks from militant groups.
“There’s been growing public pressure and growing advice [from] the strategic analysts within India, that unless India acts, there will be no deterrence,” he told the Australian broadcaster ABC News.
World can’t afford confrontation: UN
United Nations spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said in a statement late Tuesday that UN Secretary General António Guterres was very concerned about Indian military operations in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and called for maximum military restraint from both countries.
“The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan,” the spokesperson said.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says Islamabad has informed the UN Security Council about the Indian attacks and told it that “Pakistan reserves the right to respond appropriately to this aggression at a time and place of its choosing.”
Meanwhile in the city of Muzaffarabad, resident Abdul Sammad said he heard several explosions and some people were wounded in the attack. Residents were seen running in panic and authorities immediately cut power.
The blasts ripped through walls. Locals inspected the damage to their homes in the aftermath of the missile attacks, with rubble and other debris crunching underfoot. People took refuge on the streets and in open areas, fearful of what might happen.
“We were afraid the next missile might hit our house,” said Mohammad Ashraf.
Authorities in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir have declared an emergency in the region’s hospitals.
Pakistan shut schools in Pakistan-administered 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, which divides the disputed region of Kashmir between India and Pakistan, there were heavy exchanges of fire between both armies.
The Indian army said Pakistani troops “resorted to arbitrary firing,” including gunfire and artillery shelling, across the Line of Control and their international border.
Meanwhile, authorities in Indian-controlled Kashmir shut Srinagar city’s airport for civilian flights following directions from the Indian air force, senior airport official Javed Anjum said.
South Asia analyst Michael Kugelman told The Associated Press that the early morning missile strikes were some of the highest intensity from India in years and that Pakistan’s response would “surely pack a punch, as well.”
“These are two strong militaries that, even with nuclear weapons as a deterrent, are not afraid to deploy sizeable levels of conventional military force against each other,” Kugelman said.
“The escalation risks are real. And they could well increase, and quickly.”
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