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 conflict triggered by a gun massacre last month that India blames Pakistan for.
There was no way to independently verify all the actions attributed to Pakistan or India.
Here is the latest:
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Indian air force denies destruction of S-400 air defense system in Punjab
A spokesman for the Indian air force, Wing Commander Jaideep Singh, denied the claims made by Pakistan that it had destroyed an S-400 air defense system in Adampur, Punjab, using hypersonic missiles.
“Its fake. A fact-check will be up soon by the Press Information Bureau,” he told AP.
Pakistan earlier said one of it air force JF-17 Thunder aircraft launched hypersonic missiles and had destroyed the site.
There was no way to independently verify the attack.
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with Pakistan's army chief
Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir earlier today. Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said he continued to urge both parties to find ways to deescalate and offered U.S. assistance in starting constructive talks in order to avoid future conflicts.
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Indian army says it destroyed multiple Pakistani armed drones
The Indian army said in a statement that it destroyed multiple Pakistani armed drones that were spotted flying over a military cantonment in northern Punjab state’s Amritsar city early Saturday.
“Pakistan’s blatant attempt to violate India’s sovereignty and endanger civilians is unacceptable. Indian Army will thwart enemy designs,” the statement said.
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Red alert SMS sent to residents in northern Punjab’s Amritsar city
In northern Punjab’s Amritsar city, home to the famous Golden Temple, the local administration issued a red alert Saturday with sirens blaring in the area. In an SMS message to residents, the administration requested they stay indoors and stay away from windows. A red alert also issued in the town of Bathinda, in Punjab, which happens to be the location of a key air force station.
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Pakistan says it targeted S-400 air defense system in India
Pakistan’s military said on Saturday that its retaliatory strikes against India are ongoing.
According to a statement by the military, the Pakistan Air Force’s JF-17 Thunder aircraft launched hypersonic missiles that struck a key Indian military facility in Adampur, in Punjab’s Jalandhar district where India has an air force base.
The military claimed that the Indian S-400 air defense system was destroyed in the strike on Adampur. India has not commented on any of the claims and there was no way to independently verify the information.
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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 air bases, 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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At least one dead and two wounded from shelling in Indian-controlled Kashmir
A civil administrator was killed and two others wounded in Pakistani shelling in a frontier town near the highly militarized Line of Control in Indian-controlled Kashmir, officials said on Saturday.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the official was killed when a Pakistani shell hit his house in southern Rajouri town early Saturday.
Police said the official’s two staff members were critically injured in the incident.
Indian and Pakistani soldiers have heavily exchanged artillery and gunfire along the Line of Control that divides the disputed Kashmir region between two nuclear-armed rivals.
Indian officials said Pakistani troops barraged their posts overnight with artillery, mortars and gunfire at multiple locations in Indian-controlled Kashmir. They said Indian soldiers responded.
Saturday’s killing takes the death toll in Indian-controlled Kashmir to 19 since Wednesday when the two countries’ latest military standoff began. Pakistan has said Indian mortar and artillery fire has killed 17 civilians in Pakistan-administered Kashmir in the same period.
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Pakistan foreign minister says his country had no other option but to launch retaliatory strikes
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said the country launched retaliatory strikes after exercising restraint for several days in the face of repeated Indian aggression.
“There was no other option because India showed no sincerity in response to the diplomatic efforts made by friendly countries,” Dar told Geo News.
He said Pakistan had made it clear repeatedly that it reserves the right to respond under the provisions of the U.N. Charter, adding: “We acted only after India continued firing drones and missiles.”
He blamed India for the escalation, saying India gave no positive response to the efforts that were made by the international community to defuse the situation. Dar said the world wanted peace in the region, but India ignored all pleas from the international community.
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India will abstain from IMF meeting on Pakistan aid
New Delhi Finance Ministry says it will abstain from a key meeting at the IMF on Friday that was convened for a fresh tranche of bailout package to Islamabad. In a dissent note, New Delhi raised concerns over the efficacy of IMF programs for Pakistan given its “poor track record” and the possibility of “misuse of debt financing funds for state-sponsored cross border terrorism,” a statement from India’s finance ministry said.
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Pakistan PM convenes National Command Authority
State-run Pakistan Television reported Saturday morning that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has convened a meeting of the National Command Authority, the body responsible for overseeing the country’s missile program and other strategic assets. The meeting will be attended by the heads of the armed forces, the intelligence chief, and senior Cabinet members. It is expected to review the latest developments following Pakistan’s retaliatory strikes against India.
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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.
