Pakistan says it shot down five Indian planes, took soldiers prisoner
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More news: Pakistan has shot down five Indian planes and taken some Indian soldiers prisoner, Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has told media outlets.
After India's missile attack early on Wednesday, the country's embassy in Washington said in a statement that its actions “have been focused and precise” and were “measured, responsible and designed to be non-escalatory in nature”.
Meanwhile, some airports in northern India have been closed. Qatar Airways has temporarily suspended flights to Pakistan and Air India has cancelled flights to nine Indian airports.
What they said: “If these hostile acts are stopped... We will definitely talk to India. We do not want this situation to escalate,” Asif told Bloomberg.
“But if there are hostile acts initiated from the Indian side we have to respond.”
India launches missile strikes on Pakistan after Kashmir attack
The news: India fired missiles across the border into Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir early Wednesday, striking nine sites in what it called “Operation Sindoor”, according to media reports.
The context: The strikes came after a 22 April militant attack in the resort town of Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed at least 26 people, mostly tourists. India blamed Pakistan for backing the militants, which Islamabad has denied.
What they said: The Indian government said it targeted “terrorist infrastructure … from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed” and stated that the action was “focused, measured and non-escalatory”.
In a statement, the Indian government said nine sites were targeted, adding no Pakistani military facilities were struck.
Pakistan’s military said Indian missiles hit three locations — Muzaffarabad, Kotli and Bahawalpur — killing three civilians, including a child, and injuring 12 more. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a statement, said there were attacks “at five locations in Pakistan” and that his country would retaliate.
“Pakistan has every right to give a robust response to this act of war imposed by India, and a strong response is indeed being given,” Sharif said.
Speaking at the White House, US President Donald Trump called the strikes “a shame” and said, “I just hope it ends very quickly”.
The sources: Associated Press, BBC News, Indian Embassy USA, Bloomberg, Reuters, Qatar X post, Air India X post
