Pakistan vows retaliation after Indian airstrikes follow Kashmir attack

The India-Pakistan situation is very concerning, the E.U.’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, told reporters today ahead of a meeting with European foreign ministers in Warsaw, adding that E.U. was trying to mediate and bring tensions down.

India hit Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir with missiles today, and Pakistan said it had shot down five Indian aircraft and vowed to retaliate, in the worst fighting in more than two decades between the nuclear-armed neighbors.

India’s head cricket coach, Gautam Gambhir, said that India should not play any cricket with Pakistan, extending the conflict between the two countries to sports.

Due to tense relations, India has not played a full series with Pakistan since 2007. The teams only compete in multiteam events, mostly at neutral venues. Now, Gambhir believes these matches should also stop.

“Till all this doesn’t stop, there should not be anything between India and Pakistan,” said Gambhir on ABP News “India at 2047” summit.

India’s intelligence has indicated that “further attacks” against the country are “impending,” its foreign secretary said today.

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri suggested India had “exercised its right” to respond and deter “cross-border terrorism.”

“Our actions were measured and non-escalatory, proportionate and responsible,” Misri said, repeating that the strikes were aimed at “dismantling terrorists’ infrastructure.”

He noted that two weeks have passed since the April 22 attack in Kashmir, saying that since then there had been “no demonstrable step from Pakistan against terrorists’ infrastructure in its area.”

The Airports Authority of India, a government agency, says 18 of the 137 airports it manages remain closed.

Pakistan’s airports authority said earlier that all of its airports are fully functional and its national airspace is safe for civil aviation, according to Reuters.

Hundreds of people have gathered across Pakistan to attend the funeral prayers for those killed in India’s strikes.

The funeral prayers for 13 people were delayed till 2 p.m. local time (5 a.m. Eastern Time,) according to Pakistani authorities.

Both India and Pakistan had canceled visas for each other’s nationals in the wake of the April 22 attack in Kashmir.

In a statement on two days after the attack, India’s ministry of external affairs warned all Pakistani nationals in India to leave the country before their visas expired on April 27. It said medical visas would be valid for just two days beyond that.

It also urged Indian nationals against traveling to Pakistan, which responded in turn with its own visa suspensions.

Jiang Zaidong, China’s ambassador to Pakistan, called on Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar today, the ministry said in a statement.

Jiang “underscored Pakistan’s firm resolve to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity at all costs,” the statement said, adding that the two sides will work closely across “all relevant areas.”

China said earlier today that it found India’s strikes on Pakistan “regrettable,” urging both sides to avoid escalation.

Beijing and Islamabad have “close and friendly relations.” Pakistan considers its ties with China the “cornerstone” of its foreign policy.

Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that “we will defend our country,” stating no terrorist camps exist within its territory.

“Pakistan is a victim of terrorism,” Tarar told Sky News today. “As far as the current situation is ongoing, we are responding.”

Pakistan has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attack last month, which caused the deaths of at least 26 people, and criticized the deaths caused by India’s attacks today.

“Now, be prepared. This nation will hold the enemy accountable for every single drop of its martyrs’ blood,” Tarar posted on X earlier today.

India’s overnight strikes raise the “risk of an all-out war,” Turkey’s foreign ministry said in a statement today, condemning “such provocative steps.”

“We call on the parties to exercise common sense and refrain from unilateral actions,” the foreign ministry said, adding that it expected measures to be taken to “reduce tensions in the region” as soon as possible.

It also reiterated its support for Pakistan’s call for an investigation into April 22 attack.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office said earlier today that Pakistan had “made a sincere offer for a credible, transparent and neutral investigation, which unfortunately was not accepted.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting with top officials today, after Indian military launched strikes on Pakistan that killed at least 26 people.

The meeting were attended by Indian defense minister and foreign minister. Officials nodded and thumped the table as Modi spoke.

New Delhi said its strikes on Pakistan were both a response to last month’s attack that killed at least 26 people Indian-administered Kashmir and a deterrent against future attacks, which India said it had intelligence that suggested they are “impending.”

Pakistan’s foreign ministry said Islamabad “firmly rejected India’s baseless justifications,” accusing the nuclear-armed neighbor of committing a “blatant act of aggression” in violation of its sovereignty. Pakistan also denied any involvement in the attack last month.

Islamabad said Indian strikes have killed 26 people and injured 46 others in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

In a statement, Maulana Masood Azhar, a U.N.-listed terrorist in Pakistan, said today that 10 members in his family, including five children, have been killed in India’s strikes on Pakistan.

Masood Azhar’s elder sister and her husband, nephew and his wife, and niece were among those killed, according to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), an Islamist militant group led by Masood Azhar.

Active in Kashmir, the group aims to separate the region from India. It claimed responsibility for a suicide attack in 2019 that killed more than 40 police officers in India-controlled Kashmir, the deadliest attack against Indian forces in the region for decades.

Indian strikes also killed three of Masood Azhar’s close aides and the mother of one of them, the group said.

Iran’s top diplomat was expected to arrive in India today after visiting Pakistan earlier this week in an effort to mediate between the two countries.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is scheduled to meet with Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar during his two-day visit, according to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.

On Monday, Araghchi urged the two countries to exercise restraint during a one-day visit to Pakistan, the first by a foreign dignitary since an April 22 terrorist attack in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir sent tensions soaring.

Pakistan has railed against India’s claim that it is housing “terror camps” on its soil, calling the allegations baseless.

“Pakistan has been emphatically rejecting Indian allegations claiming the presence of terrorist camps on its territory,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s said in a statement following a meeting of the country’s National Security Committee meeting.

Accusing India of making the claims “without a shred of evidence,” the statement said that members of the international media had visited the alleged “terrorist camps” yesterday and that more visits were planned for today.

It added that after the terrorist attack in Indian-administered Kashmir last month, “Pakistan made a sincere offer for a credible, transparent and neutral investigation, which unfortunately was not accepted.”

The U.S. Embassy in Pakistan has advised American citizens to leave any areas of active conflict “if they can safely do so” or to shelter in place.

“We are aware of reports of military strikes by India into Pakistan,” the embassy said in a security alert today. “This remains an evolving situation, and we are closely monitoring developments.”

The embassy reminded U.S. citizens of the “Do Not Travel” advisory for areas in the vicinity of the India-Pakistan border and the Line of Control “due to terrorism and the potential for armed conflict,” as well as of the State Department’s “Reconsider Travel” advisory for Pakistan generally. 

“We are also aware that airspace has been closed, and many flights have been cancelled,” it said.

India’s strikes against Pakistan were dubbed “Operation Sindoor” in a reference to last month’s terrorist attack in Indian-administered Kashmir in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed.

The name “Sindoor” appears to be a reference to the red vermilion, or powder, that many Hindu women wear after marriage. During the attack, militants identified non-Muslims and then separated the men from the women and children, killing husbands in front of their wives.

India blames Pakistan for the attack, saying that some of the gunmen had ties to militant groups based in Pakistan. Pakistan has denied involvement.

India’s overnight strikes “neutralized” targets with “clinical efficiency,” Indian Air Force Wing Commander Vyomika Singh said today.

The airstrikes hit what officials called “terror camps” and not “military establishments,” Singh said, adding that India had shown “considerable restraint” during its overnight raids.

Singh also said India’s forces were fully prepared to respond to any military action from Pakistan.

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said today that he is “proud” of the country’s armed forces, which launched strikes on Pakistan that local authorities said had killed 26 people.

India’s military operation is a “response to the brutal killing” of at least 26 people last month in India-controlled Kashmir during what police said were militants fighting against Indian rule, Shah said in a post on X.

“The Modi government is resolved to give a befitting response to any attack on India and its people,” he said, adding that India remains “firmly committed to eradicating terrorism from its roots.”

Pakistan’s foreign ministry said today that it “firmly rejected India’s baseless justifications,” accusing its neighbor country of committing a “blatant act of aggression” in violation of its sovereignty.

Islamabad had previously denied any involvement in the attack last month.

The U.K. will “stand ready” to help de-escalate rising military tensions between India and Pakistan, British business and trade secretary Jonathan Reynolds said.

“Anything we can do from the United Kingdom in terms of dialog, in terms of de-escalation, we stand ready and able to do,” Reynolds told Sky News today, his comments coming a day after the U.K. announced a major trade deal with India.

The conflict is “always worrying,” he said. “This is a long running conflict, very sadly.”

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy has reached out to officials in both India and Pakistan, Reynold added.

During India–Pakistan border skirmishes in 2019, British officials rolled out aid programs in Pakistan and urged both sides to deescalate tensions and tackle terrorism.

Pakistan’s armed forces have been authorized by the country’s top national security body to take “corresponding actions” in response to India’s overnight strikes, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office says.

The country’s National Security Committee “unequivocally condemned” the attack “as blatant violations of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the prime minister’s office said.

“Pakistan reserves the right to respond, in self-defence, at a time, place, and manner of its choosing to avenge the loss of innocent Pakistani lives and blatant violation of its sovereignty,” it said.

Kashmir, where last month’s deadly attack unfolded, has long been known for its lush valleys, picturesque lakes and ski resorts, often dubbed “mini Switzerland,” for its windy meadows.

But it is also one of the most militarized places in the world, which becomes apparent quickly once exiting its main airport in Srinagar, with military patrolling regular streets and at times gunshots heard in distance if venturing close to the border.

Kashmir is split along the Line of Control, the de facto border between India and Pakistan which splits it between Indian-administered and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, that was created in 1972 following a war between the two over the region.

Since then, regular firing across the LoC has rocked the area with separatist insurgency also killing hundreds. Border skirmishes have been common and in 2019, a convoy of Indian security forces was blown up in Kashmir which prompted India to launch aerial strikes.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019 revoked Kashmir’s special autonomous status and cracked down on dissent and hundreds of arrests were made. His government has since hailed stability in the region but that narrative was shattered in last month’s attack.

Video released by Pakistan’s military shows the moment overnight Indian airstrikes landed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. India says the strikes were targeting “terror camps” in response to a deadly attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir last month.

Russia is “deeply concerned” about the escalation in fighting between India and Pakistan, foreign affairs ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said this morning.

“Russia strongly condemns acts of terrorism, opposes any manifestations of it and emphasizes the need to unite the efforts of the entire international community to effectively combat this evil,” she said in a statement published online this morning, referencing the attack that killed 26 people two weeks ago.

Zakharova called on both sides to “exercise restraint in order to prevent further deterioration of the situation in the region,” adding: “We hope that the differences between New Delhi and Islamabad will be resolved peacefully.”

China said it “regrets” India’s military operation against Pakistan and expressed concern over the conflict between the two countries, both of which it shares borders with.

“We call on both sides to prioritize peace and stability, remain calm and restrained, and avoid actions that may further complicate the situation,” spokesperson Lin Jian said at a regular briefing in Beijing today, adding that China opposes all forms of terrorism.

Over the past decade, China and India have seen conflicts along their 2,000-mile border, while Beijing maintains close relations with Pakistan, describing the China-Pakistan partnership as “a priority in China’s foreign policy.”  

Trump called the rising military tensions between India and Pakistan “a shame” as the State Department urged both sides to avoid escalation.

“It’s a shame,” Trump told reporters yesterday in the Oval Office. “I just hope it ends very quickly.”

After India attacked Pakistan, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to his counterparts in both countries, urging them to keep lines of communication open and avoid further escalation, the Department of State said yesterday on X.

“I am monitoring the situation between India and Pakistan closely,” Rubio said on X, adding that the U.S. will continue to engage both countries toward a peaceful resolution.

India is considered a “major defense partner” by the U.S., while Pakistan is designated as a “major non-NATO ally.”

India and Pakistan announced plans for school closures today across a number of areas amid the escalation in fighting.

Indian local authorities said all education institutions in a number of towns in the area of Indian-administered Kashmir would be closed today.

Meanwhile, schools were also shuttered in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, with officials citing the “prevailing security situation.” They said any scheduled examinations would proceed as planned, however.

A group gathers around a large piece of fallen debris, believed to be from an aircraft, in Wuyan in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Wednesday.

Pakistan said today it has shot down five Indian aircraft, a claim yet to be confirmed by India.

The country’s military shot down the Indian fighters jets during their attack in self-defense, Pakistan security officials said.

A drone was also shot down in Pakistan, the officials added.

The Indian military, in its first news briefing addressing the overnight strikes in Pakistan said, it only targeted “nine terrorist camps.”

Indian army officer Col. Sofiya Qureshi presented videos showing multiple hits on what she said were terrorist camps, including in the city of Mundrike.

“No military installation was targeted, and till now there are no reports of civilian casualties in Pakistan,” she said.

Pakistani officials have said a mosque was hit in Muridke, where they said three people were killed and another civilian was injured. The Indian military has yet to respond to that claim.

India’s aerial strikes on Pakistan began at 1:05 a.m. today (3:35 p.m. ET Tuesday) and lasted for 25 minutes, Col. Sofiya Qureshi, an Indian army officer said at a news briefing, adding no military sites were targeted.

The military strikes was launched to “bring justice to the innocent victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and their families,” she said.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called on both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint amid the escalating violence.

“The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan,” Guterres said in a statement published yesterday.

Guterres had earlier warned that tensions between the two nuclear powers were at “their highest in years” and offered U.N. mediation, saying “a military solution is no solution.”

Pakistan’s foreign ministry said it had summoned an Indian diplomat today to condemn India’s multiple strikes on its territory.

The Indian chargé d’affaires has received Pakistan’s “strong protest” over India’s “unprovoked” attacks that killed civilians including women and children, the ministry said in a statement.

India denied targeting civilians and said its strikes hit only “terror camps,” some of which it said were linked to the Islamist militant attack that killed 26 people last month in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Islamabad said it “firmly rejected India’s baseless justifications for its hostile conduct,” accusing India of committing a “blatant act of aggression” in violation of its sovereignty.

The ministry also warned India that its “reckless behavior poses a serious threat to regional peace and stability.”

New Delhi says it has intelligence that indicates “further attacks against India are impending,” adding that it has exercised its right to respond to deter cross-border terrorism.

“Our actions were measured and non-escalatory, proportionate and responsible,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told a news briefing this morning. “They focused on dismantling terrorists’ infrastructure.”

India blames Pakistan for a terrorist attack last month that killed 26 people, mostly tourists, which Misri said aimed to “sabotage the return of normalcy and stability to Kashmir” — the Himalayan region claimed by both India and Pakistan. Pakistan denies involvement in the attack and Misri did not cite any evidence.

A number of Asian airlines said they will re-route or canceling flights due to the escalation in fighting between India and Pakistan.

Taiwan’s EVA Air, Korean Air and Thai Airways were among those to announce changes as of this morning, Reuters reported.

On its website, EVA Air urged passengers to check the flight status of any upcoming travel to and from Europe before heading to the airport.

Data published on flight tracking website Flightradar24.com showed the airspace over Pakistan almost entirely clear as of early Wednesday morning, with commercial airlines appearing to avoid the region after India launched missiles at its neighbor.

India’s strike on Pakistan had been widely expected after Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed retribution for the April 22 terrorist attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir that killed 26 people, most of them tourists.

India has long accused neighboring Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism in Kashmir, a disputed Himalayan region that is the only Muslim-majority part of India. Indian police said some of the gunmen involved in the Kashmir attack had ties to militant groups based in Pakistan.

Pakistan denies involvement and has called for a “neutral” investigation into the attack. In recent days, Pakistani officials said they anticipated military action by India, which like Pakistan is a nuclear power.

India launched missiles at neighbor and rival Pakistan on Wednesday, dramatically escalating tensions between the nuclear powers two weeks after a terrorist attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people.

Calling them an “act of war,” Pakistan said the strikes, which according to India hit nine locations across the Pakistani province of Punjab and in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, killed 26 people and injured 46 others. Among the dead were six people killed at two mosques and two teenagers who were killed elsewhere, Pakistani officials said.

India said the strikes hit only “terror camps” and no civilian targets. It said it had exercised “considerable restraint” in its selection of targets and did not strike any military facilities.

“Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature,” the Indian defense ministry said in a statement.

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