Islamabad, Pakistan/New Delhi, India
CNN
–
India has launched a military strike in Pakistan over targets, the two countries said on Wednesday. Pakistan claimed that in a massive escalation between its nuclear rivals, it fired down five Indian Air Force jets accordingly.
The Indian missile said early on Wednesday it targeted Pakistan’s densely populated Punjab and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir ‘terrorist infrastructure’. They have been more than two weeks after the Indian-controlled massacre of Kashmir tourists, where New Delhi denounced its neighbors.
Pakistan said it had fired down five Indian Air Force jets, including three Rafalejets during India’s attack, one MIG-29, one SU-30 fighter and one drone.
A briefing from Pakistani security sources did not say where the jet was defeated or how to do so. CNN cannot independently verify claims and is urging the Indian government to respond.
India, a majority of Muslims, Pakistan and Hindu majority, have approached an open conflict since the massacre last month, and India’s Hindu nationalist government is under intense pressure from bases to respond to the attack.
From early on Wednesday, the two exchanged artillery and gunfires across the border, with Pakistan-controlled Kashmir CNN journalists hearing multiple major explosions.
Witnesses in Srinagar, the largest city in Kashmir, controlled by India, told CNN that the explosion had shaken the city. The cause is currently unknown. The city’s airport director told CNN that the airport had been closed to private transport.
The US State Department said it was “closely monitoring” the flare-up between neighboring South Asian countries, which have fought three wars over Kashmir since its independence from Britain in 1947.
“Our actions are inherently focused, measured and non-active,” India’s Ministry of Defense said in its strike statement.
“Pakistan’s military facilities are not being targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in the way it selects and implements targets,” the statement said.
Pakistan rejected the claim, saying the attacks mostly hurt civilians. – Kill at least three people, including children, and injure at least dozens.
Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif said he has the right to respond to what he described as an “act of war,” adding that he has “benefited a reply.”
A Pakistani military source said CNN had five locations struck at Kotli, Ahmadpur East, Muzaffarabad, Bagh and Muridke.
Both Ahmadpur East and Malidke are located in Pakistan’s densely populated Punjab, and have been hit by India, the deepest in Pakistan since the 1971 India-Pakistan war.
Wednesday’s attack was the first time since 2019 when India struck within Pakistan’s territory, when Indian jets targeted multiple locations after they blamed a suicide car bomb attack that killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary personnel in the region.
The Indian military said it had achieved nine targets in “Operation Sindoor.”
“Justice is provided,” the Indian Army wrote to X in a short statement. “Jai Hind!” means “Victory over India.”
A senior Indian official spoke with counterparts in many countries to explain the measures taken by New Delhi, a senior Indian official told CNN.
Among the briefed countries were the United States, the UK, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Russia.
Kashmir is one of the most dangerous flashpoints in the world. It is partly controlled by India and Pakistan, but both countries have fully argued for it.
India-Pakistan relations have gained craters in recent weeks after a fatal rampage by gunmen who killed the majority of Indian tourists in the scenic location of Pahargam, Kashmir.
The massacre sparked immediate and widespread rage in India, putting in immense public pressure for Modi to retaliate with force.
India has long accused Pakistan of having extremist groups attacking across the border, and it denies the charges – it has vowed to retaliate against those they were responsible for.
Major world powers, including the United States, were urging controls a few weeks after last month’s attacks. They feared that the military conflict between Pakistan over Kashmir could soon escalate.
India accused Pakistan of being involved in the attack on Pahargam. Islamabad also denies this. Pakistan offers a neutral investigation into the incident.
A few days after the tourist attacks, the two countries quickly downgraded each other and have since engaged in a escalation of intense hostilities.
India ordered its citizens to return from Pakistan, closed across major borders and suspended its involvement in the important water sharing treaty, which has been in effect since 1960.
Pakistan halted trade with India and expelled Indian diplomats. He said attempts to stop or detour the waters belonging to Pakistan would be considered “an act of war.”
New Delhi and Islamabad were bent the forces of the army along the Control (LOC), the de facto boundary that divides Kashmir. Both sides also closed airspace to other airlines.
CNN’s Rhea Mogul, Manveena Suri, Azaz Syed and Vedika Sud contributed to this story
