At least 26 civilians have been martyred and 46 injured in a series of missile strikes carried out by India on various locations across Punjab and Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK), including mosques and residential areas.
In response, the Pakistan Armed Forces launched a powerful counteroffensive, shooting down five Indian Air Force (IAF) jets — including three Rafales, one Su-30MKI, and one MiG-29 — along with a combat drone. Several Indian military installations, including brigade headquarters and multiple checkposts along the Line of Control (LoC), were also destroyed.
Read more: Women and Children Among 24 Martyred, 46 Injured in Indian Strikes Across Pakistan
Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, stated in a press briefing that all Pakistan Air Force (PAF) aircraft remained safe and actively engaged in defending the nation’s airspace. He confirmed that intense exchanges of fire continue along the LoC, with Pakistani troops effectively targeting Indian positions.
India’s strikes, which were conducted in the early hours of Wednesday, were reportedly in retaliation for the deaths of over two dozen tourists in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir — an incident New Delhi blames on Pakistan, though Islamabad has categorically denied the allegation.
Lt Gen Chaudhry provided a breakdown of the civilian casualties:
- Ahmedpur East, Masjid Subhanullah: 13 martyred (including two 3-year-old girls, seven women, and four men), 37 injured
- Masjid Bilal, Muzaffarabad: 3 martyred, 2 injured (one girl and one boy)
- Masjid Abbas, Kotli: A 16-year-old girl and an 18-year-old boy martyred; a mother and her child injured
- Masjid Ummul Qura, Muridke: 3 men martyred, 1 injured
- Sialkot and Shakargarh: No civilian casualties, though a dispensary in Shakargarh was damaged
- Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project: Noseri Dam was struck, causing structural damage
ISPR condemned the deliberate targeting of mosques and civilian areas, calling it reflective of the extremist Hindutva ideology of the Indian leadership under Prime Minister Modi.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a statement on social media platform X, strongly condemned the attacks, calling them a “cowardly act by a treacherous enemy.” He affirmed Pakistan’s right to respond and assured that a decisive retaliation is underway. “The nation stands firmly with its armed forces, and our morale remains unshaken,” he said.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif confirmed the downing of five Indian jets and declared that Pakistan had seized the upper hand through a precise and powerful response. Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar labeled India’s airstrikes as an “unprovoked and blatant act of aggression,” criticizing the IAF for using stand-off weapons to attack civilian areas while staying within Indian airspace.
The United States has urged both Pakistan and India to avoid further escalation and exercise restraint amid growing regional tensions.
