India attacked nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir on Wednesday, with at least three deaths reported as the worst fighting in years erupted between the longstanding enemies.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Islamabad was responding to the Indian attacks but did not provide details.
US President Donald Trump called the situation “a shame” and added, “I hope it ends quickly.”
Here’s what we know so far.
What happened?
On Wednesday morning, Indian forces attacked nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir in a major escalation of tensions.
The Indian government said its armed forces had launched “Operation Sindoor”, where it had targeted “terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks in India have been planned and directed”.
“Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution,” it said.
At least three people have died, including a child, according to Pakistan’s Minister of Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif. “They have targeted multiple locations, which all are civilian… We have confirmed reports of three civilians killed that includes one child,” Asif told the AFP news agency.
After the explosions, power was blacked out in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani Kashmir, witnesses said.
The development comes amid heightened tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours in the aftermath of an attack on Hindu tourists in Indian Kashmir last month. Source: AAP / Middle East Images
How has Pakistan responded?
Pakistan has condemned the attack and vowed retaliation.
A spokesman for Pakistan’s military told broadcaster ARY that India had attacked Pakistan with missiles in three places and that Pakistan would respond.
“We will retaliate at the time of our choosing,” said Pakistani military spokesman Lieutenant-General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, calling the strikes a “heinous provocation.”
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told Geo that all sites targeted by India were civilian and not militant camps. Another military spokesperson said that two mosques had been struck.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued a statement, warning that a “resolute response” was underway.
“The treacherous enemy has launched a cowardly attack on five locations within Pakistan. This heinous act of aggression will not go unpunished,” the statement read.
“Pakistan reserves the absolute right to respond decisively to this unprovoked Indian attack — a resolute response is already underway.”
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said India had launched missiles at Pakistan from within its own airspace.
He also said India’s claim of “targeting terrorist camps” was false, and that the strikes hit civilian areas.
Pakistani military said three locations were hit by the air strikes — including Muzaffarabad and Kotli in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and Bahwalpur.
Escalating tensions
The strikes come amid growing tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours in the aftermath of an .
Militants opened fire on tourists in the resort town of Pahalgam, killing at least 26 people.
Some survivors said that the gunmen specifically targeted Hindu men. Indian police say two of the four militants they suspect behind the attack were Pakistani citizens, with India blaming Pakistan for the attack.
Pakistan has denied any involvement and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for a transparent, credible and neutral investigation into the attack. He also urged the United States to impress upon India to “dial down the rhetoric and act responsibly”
UN urges both countries to exercise ‘maximum military constraint’
The strikes see a major escalation in the long-standing conflict between India and Pakistan.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres was very concerned, calling for maximum military restraint from India and Pakistan.
“The Secretary-General is very concerned about the Indian military operations across the Line of Control and international border. He calls for maximum military restraint from both countries,” the spokesperson said. “The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan.”
United States President Donald Trump said the strikes were a “shame.”
This is a developing story and this article will be updated.
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