Pakistan has promised to retaliate after India launched military strikes on Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, fuelling fears of a broader confrontation between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
Pakistan’s government on Wednesday pledged to respond “at a time, place and manner of its choosing to avenge the loss of innocent Pakistani lives and blatant violation of its sovereignty”.
Pakistan’s military said at least 31 civilians were killed and 46 others injured in the Indian attacks and ensuing cross-border shelling, describing the strikes as having “ignited an inferno in the region”.
In New Delhi, Indian officials briefed more than a dozen foreign envoys, telling them: “If Pakistan responds, India will respond”.
It comes amid spiralling tensions following a deadly attack last month on Hindu tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, which India blamed on Pakistan-based fighters. Islamabad has denied any involvement.
Cross-border shelling
India’s government said its forces targeted nine sites it described as “terrorist infrastructure”, including facilities allegedly linked to the fighters who killed 25 tourists and one local in last month’s Kashmir attack.
However, in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, residents said Indian missiles struck a mosque-seminary in the city centre.
The building, which included residential quarters, was left in ruins, with five missiles reportedly killing three people inside the two-storey structure.
Meanwhile, heavy cross-border shelling and gunfire continued along the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border dividing Kashmir. Officials said 13 civilians were killed and 43 wounded on the Indian side, while at least six civilians were killed on the Pakistani side.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister’s Office claimed that five Indian fighter jets and drones were shot down during the escalation. The Indian embassy in Beijing dismissed reports of downed aircraft as “disinformation”.
Sharif promises response
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar told TRT World that there had been communication between the national security advisers of the two countries, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif pledged that Pakistan would respond decisively.
“For the blatant mistake that India made last night, it will now have to pay the price,” Sharif said on state broadcaster PTV. “Perhaps they thought that we would retreat, but they forgot that … this is a nation of brave people.”
Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid, reporting from Islamabad, said that retaliation from Pakistan was widely anticipated.
“Pakistan is expected to retaliate within the next 24 to 48 hours, and that’s something we’ve been hearing from politicians across the board,” he said.
“They’re citing Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which says that a country has the right to respond to an unprovoked act of aggression.”
India defended its actions, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh claiming its “targets we had set were destroyed with exactness according to a well-planned strategy”.
“We have shown sensitivity by ensuring that no civilian population was affected in the slightest,” he added.
Islamabad claims six sites targeted by India were not linked to armed groups.
‘I want to see it stop’
The Pakistani military said 57 commercial aircraft from multiple countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Thailand, South Korea and China, were in Pakistan’s airspace at the time of India’s attack, putting thousands of passengers at risk.
India has since ordered the closure of at least 21 civilian airports in the northern and western parts of the country for passenger flights until May 10, The Hindu reported.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke with Prime Minister Sharif and expressed Ankara’s support. According to the Turkish presidency, Erdogan praised Pakistan’s “calm and restrained policies” during the crisis.
In Washington, United States President Donald Trump said he hoped to help de-escalate the situation. “I want to see it stop. And if I can do anything to help, I will be there,” he told reporters at the White House. “We want to see them work it out.”
Uday Chandra, assistant professor of government at Georgetown University in Qatar, said while retaliation from Pakistan was expected, it appeared that neither country was seeking “an all-out war”.
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