State-run Pakistan Television said Saturday that retaliatory attacks are underway after India fired missiles at three air bases inside Pakistan. It did not give details, and it was unclear which military locations in India were being targeted.
“Multiple locations in India are being targeted in the retaliatory attacks,” the state-run media reported.
India fired missiles at three air bases inside Pakistan but most of the missiles were intercepted, Pakistan’s army spokesman said Saturday. It’s the latest escalation in a last month that India blames Pakistan for.
Here is the latest:
Pakistan’s counterstrike is a symbol of the nation’s resolve, state-run Pakistani media says
Pakistan’s military launched a retaliatory strike with its Al-Fatah missile after naming them in memory of the Pakistani children killed during India’s strikes in various parts of the country this week, according to state-run Pakistan Television.
It said the missile symbolizes the nation’s resolve and serves as a tribute to the young lives lost.
Pakistan Television said that Pakistan will never forget the children who were killed, emphasizing that their memory lives on as a symbol of national unity and resilience.
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Indian prime minister held meeting with top security officials hours before Pakistan said India launched missiles
Hours before Pakistan’s claim of India launching missiles into its territories to target airbases, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with top security officials, including defense minister Rajnath Singh, national security adviser Ajit Doval and the chiefs of the army, navy and air force.
A video released by Modi’s office overnight showed one of the Indian military officials taking notes of the discussion. The video did not include sound.
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Pakistan shuts down flights countrywide
Pakistan has shut down every airport for all flight operations, according to the country’s civil aviation authority.
In a statement, it said the decision to close Pakistan’s airspace for all flights was made because of the developing situation following the attacks made by India.
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Explosions in India appear to have been near military bases, former Indian police official says
Explosions were heard from areas that have military bases, said Shesh Paul Vaid, a former top police official for Indian-controlled Kashmir and a resident of Jammu. He added that it appeared army sites were being targeted.
There was no immediate comment from India’s defense and foreign ministry and its armed forces.
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Support erupts in Pakistan’s major cities for the country’s retaliation against India
Despite the Indian attacks, life in Pakistan’s major cities remained normal on Saturday morning.
As soon as people learned that Pakistan had carried out a retaliatory strike against India, residents of major cities across Pakistan were seen raising slogans in support of the country’s armed forces.
“Thank God we have finally responded to Indian aggression,” said Muhammad Ashraf, 28, who had come to Lahore’s Anarkali Bazaar for an early morning breakfast.
In the city of Multan, Punjab, Muhammad Rizwan said that the Pakistani armed forces had won the hearts of the entire nation by taking strong action against India. “The entire Pakistani nation is united against Indian aggression,” the young man said.
“My family and I are always ready to shed our blood for Pakistan and its armed forces,” he added.
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Saudi Arabian official meets with Indian and Pakistani officials in effort to defuse conflict
Saudi Arabia’s junior foreign affairs minister Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir met senior officials in India and Pakistan this week as part of the Kingdom’s efforts to defuse ongoing tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals.
In a statement issued Saturday on the social media platform X, the foreign ministry of Saudi Arabia said that during the visit it essentially called for “de-escalation, ending ongoing military confrontations, and resolving all disputes through dialogue and diplomatic channels.”
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Gunfire heard in northwest Pakistan
Blasts and gunfire were heard in the northwest Pakistani city of Peshawar on Saturday morning.
A security official said a local air base had activated its defense system to take down a drone. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
The official did not give further details, including the number of drones or if they were Indian.
— Contributed by Riazat Butt
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Resident says there were at least two explosions in India-controlled Kashmir
Srinagar resident Mohammed Yasin said he heard at least two explosions.
“Our home shook and windows rattled,” he said.
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Loud explosions heard at multiple places in Indian-controlled Kashmir, residents say
The explosions on Saturday were heard in the disputed region’s two big cities of Srinagar and Jammu, and the garrison town of Udhampur.
“Explosions that we are hearing today are different from the ones we heard the last two nights during drone attacks,” said Sheesh Paul Vaid, the region’s former top police official and a resident of Jammu. “It looks like a war here.”
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G7 urges both India and Pakistan to exercise ‘maximum restraint’
The Group of Seven nations, or G7, has urged “maximum restraint” from both India and Pakistan as hostilities flared.
“Further military escalation poses a serious threat to regional stability. We are deeply concerned for the safety of civilians on both sides,” a statement by Canada on behalf of G7 foreign ministers said Friday.
“We call for immediate de-escalation and encourage both countries to engage in direct dialogue towards a peaceful outcome,” the statement said.
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India says drones sighted in 26 locations in border areas
The Indian army said in a statement late Friday that drones were sighted in 26 locations in Indian states bordering Pakistan and in Indian-controlled Kashmir, including region’s Srinagar main city.
It said the drones were tracked and engaged.
“The situation is under close and constant watch, and prompt action is being taken wherever necessary,” the statement said.
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Analyst says Pakistan exercised ‘maximum restraint’ before retaliating
Syed Mohammad Ali, a defense analyst, says Pakistan launched retaliatory strikes after exercising maximum restraint.
He said Pakistan is using its ballistic missiles to hit those Indian military facilities from where India launched the latest attacks on Pakistan.
“The world knows that Pakistan exercised maximum restraint. We gave diplomacy a chance when friendly countries made efforts to defuse the situation, but India kept on indulging in aggression,” he said.
