Start of Pakistan’s missile attack against India / Pakistan’s PM: We will take revenge on India

Pars Today - News sources reported Pakistan’s missile attack on India. Following an attack last Tuesday by gunmen who opened fire on a group of tourists in the tourist area of Pahalgam, about 90 kilometers from Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-administered Kashmir, which killed at least 27 people, Indian authorities labeled the attack as terrorist and claimed Pakistan’s involvement. This has escalated tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors in the subcontinent into a new phase.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s military reported on Wednesday morning that India launched missile attacks on three locations in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. In response to India’s missile strikes on Pakistan, Islamabad retaliated with ballistic missiles targeting the “Amritsar” airport in India’s Punjab state. Local sources reported hearing several loud explosions at the base.

Pakistan’s Defense Minister warned India
According to Pars Today, citing Mehr News Agency, Pakistan’s Defense Minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, warned on Wednesday that if India persists in escalating the conflict, the likelihood of a nuclear confrontation between the two countries will increase, with consequences falling on New Delhi. He also stated that Pakistan is not engaged in direct talks with India, but third-party countries are currently working to de-escalate the situation.

Pakistan’s FM: Contacts established with national security advisors of India and Pakistan
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Mohammad Ishaq Dar, stated that amid military tensions with India, contacts have been established between the national security advisors of the two countries. In an interview with Turkey’s TRT network aired on Wednesday night, Dar did not provide details about these contacts. He described India’s airstrikes on Pakistan-administered Kashmir as “an act of war against Pakistan” and “unforgivable.”

Pakistan army spokesperson: 31 killed in India’s attacks
On Wednesday, General Ahmed Sharif, the spokesperson for Pakistan’s military, announced that the death toll from India’s missile attacks, which New Delhi described as operations against terrorist bases in its western neighbor, had reached 31. He noted that no Pakistani military personnel or fighter jets were harmed in the conflict. Additionally, 56 people were injured in various cities across Pakistan.

Pakistan’s PM: We will take revenge on India
On Wednesday, Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, warned that Pakistanis would seek revenge for all the blood spilled in India’s attacks. He stated, “India’s aggressions are unjustifiable; India has shown disrespect for international law and violated the UN Charter.” Sharif emphasized that Kashmiris have the right to determine their own destiny.

Pakistani citizens protest outside Indian Embassy in London
In response to India’s recent missile attacks on Kashmir, a group of Pakistani citizens gathered outside the Indian Embassy in London. The protest, amid warnings about the potential spread of regional tensions to the streets of the UK, has taken on broader dimensions. 

Demonstrators, holding Pakistani and Kashmiri flags, chanted slogans against India’s Prime Minister, calling for an end to violence and a return to peace. With slogans such as “We want peace, now,” “No to state terrorism,” and “Long live Pakistan,” they condemned New Delhi’s recent military actions, asserting that India’s claim of targeting terrorist positions in Pakistan is “baseless” and a “pretext for attacking civilians.”

Downing of Two Drones in Pakistan
Pakistani media reported on Thursday that two suspicious drones were shot down in the country’s airspace, leading to the closure of airports in the cities of Lahore and Sialkot and the suspension of passenger flights. The two drones were downed in Lahore and Chakwal, respectively, with no human casualties reported. 

This incident prompted the closure of airports in Lahore and Sialkot (near Chakwal) in Punjab province, with all flights in the airspace of these cities suspended. Some sources claimed the drones were sent by India but were swiftly intercepted by Pakistan’s air defense systems. Pakistan’s military had previously announced that, in response to India’s missile attacks, it had shot down five Indian fighter jets and seven drones.

MG/UR