Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday condemned the Indian airstrikes against terror targets in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Punjab province as an “act of war,” declaring that Pakistan has every right to give a “befitting reply.”
India carried out the strikes under Operation Sindoor against terror infrastructure associated with the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 individuals, the majority of whom were tourists. Pakistan says five places were targeted, including Kotli, Muzaffarabad, and Bagh in PoK, and Bahawalpur and Muridke in Punjab.
This despicable and cowardly attack was launched from inside India’s airspace,” declared Pakistan Army spokesman Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry. He confirmed three casualties and 12 injuries among civilians, and denied that terror camps existed at the affected locations. “Let me say it categorically: Pakistan will respond to this at a time and place of its own choosing,” he threatened.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif was similarly inclined, stating, “We will respond with full force. The debt will be paid in full.”
Pakistan has since banned all civilian air traffic across its airspace for 48 hours and opened up the affected zones to international media for confirmation.
The Indian government, in the wake of the Pahalgam attack, has ramped up pressure on Pakistan by suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, shutting down the Attari land border crossing, and downgrading diplomatic relations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had previously declared that the armed forces enjoy “complete operational freedom” to decide the response to the Pahalgam massacre, speculating a severe retaliation.
Rivalries between the two nuclear neighbours have escalated to a critical point, with the global community appealing for restraint amid concerns of further escalation.
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