India launches missiles toward the border with Pakistan as tensions surge in Kashmir – Country
Pakistani authorities said India fired missiles at multiple locations earlier on Wednesday at multiple locations, killing a child and injuring two other people. India said it was an infrastructure used by militants.
Tensions among nuclear-weapon neighbors have soared since the Indian-controlled portion of tourists in Kashmir last month. India accused Pakistan of supporting the radical attacks denied by Islamabad.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned Wednesday's air strikes and said: “The deceptive enemy carried out timid attacks at five locations in Pakistan” and his country will retaliate.
“Pakistan has the right to respond strongly to this act of war committed by India and has indeed received a strong response,” Sharif said.
He said his country and its armed forces “are well aware of how to deal with the enemy.”
The missiles hit Pakistan-managed Kashmir and locations in the country's eastern Punjab province. A man hit a mosque in Bahawalpur, Punjab, where a child was killed and a woman and a man were injured.
Pakistan's state-run TV said the country's air force shot down two Indian jets, but did not provide any other details, citing security officials.
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Pakistan's foreign ministry said Indian troops launched a strike while staying in Indian airspace. Other locations near Muridke in Punjab and Kotli in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir are all near Muridke.
It said the attack reportedly resulted in civilian casualties and posed a major threat to commercial air traffic.
“This reckless escalation brings the two nuclear-weapon states closer to major conflicts,” the statement said.
The Indian Ministry of Defense said at least nine locations were “places where terrorist attacks were planned on”.
“Our actions have been essentially focused on nature. There are no military facilities targeting Pakistan,” the statement said.
“We are committed to taking on the promises of those who have this attack,” the statement said.
Sharif held a National Security Council meeting Wednesday morning.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is “very concerned about Indian military operations throughout control and international borders” and calls for the biggest military restrictions on both countries, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement late Tuesday.
“The world cannot afford the military confrontation between India and Pakistan,” the statement said.
In Muzaffarabad, a major city in the Pakistan-controlled Kashmir city, resident Abdul Sammad said he heard several explosions and some were injured in the attack. People were seen running in panic and authorities immediately cut electricity, causing power outages.
The region’s interior minister Waqar Noor said authorities have declared an emergency in hospitals in the region.
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