Pakistan has pledged retaliation after India launched a military strike in Pakistan-Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, and further promoted fear of wider conflict among its nuclear force neighbours.
The Pakistani government on Wednesday pledged to respond with “a attitude of place and attitude once to choose to revenge the loss of the lives of innocent Pakistanis and the blatant violation of their sovereignty.”
Pakistani forces said at least 31 civilians were killed, 46 were injured in the Indian attack, followed by cross-border artillery bombardment, “putting fire to Inferno in the region.”
In New Delhi, Indian officials explained to a mission of more than 12 foreigners and said, “If Pakistan responds, India will respond.”
It comes amid spiral tensions following the fatal attack last month in Kashmir, when India-controlled Hindu tourists in Kashmiri criticized the Pakistan-based fighter. Islamabad denied involvement.
Border fire
The Indian government said its forces target nine sites called “terrorist infrastructure,” including facilities that are allegedly linked to fighter jets that killed 25 tourists and one local attack in the Kashmir attack last month.
However, in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Kashmir, controlled by Pakistan, residents said Indian missiles had attacked a mosque seminar in the city centre.
The building, including residential areas, was left in abandoned areas, and three people reportedly died in the five-story building.
Meanwhile, heavy cross-border artillery and gunfire followed along the Control (LOC), the de facto boundary line that divides Kashmir. Officials said 13 civilians were killed and 43 were injured on the Indian side, while at least six civilians were killed on the Pakistani side.
The Pakistan Prime Minister’s Office claimed that five Indian fighters and drones were shot down during the escalation. The Indian Embassy in Beijing has dismissed reports of the downed aircraft as “disinformation.”
Sharif promises to respond
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dal told TRT World that there was communication between the national security advisers of both countries, but Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif has vowed that Pakistan will take a decisive response.
“We’ll now have to pay for the blatant mistake India made last night,” Sharif said on the state broadcaster PTV. “Perhaps they thought we would retreat, but they forgot… this is a land of brave people.”
Al Jazeera’s Osama bin Javaid, who reported from Islamabad, said retaliation from Pakistan is widely expected.
“Pakistan is expected to retaliate within the next 24-48 hours, which is something we have heard from politicians all over the place,” he said.
“They cite Article 51 of the UN Charter, which states that the country has the right to respond to unattacked acts of attack.”
India defended its action, claiming that Defense Minister Rajnath Singh “the targets we set were accurately destroyed according to a well-planned strategy.”
“We showed sensitivity by ensuring that civilians were not slightly affected,” he added.
Islamabad claims that the six sites that India targeted are not associated with the armed groups.
“I want to see it stop.”
Pakistani military said 57 commercial aircraft from multiple countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, South Korea and China, were in Pakistan’s airspace during the Indian attack, putting thousands of passengers at risk.
India has since ordered the closure of at least 21 civil airports in the northern and western parts of the country for passenger flights until May 10, Hindus reported.
Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan spoke with Prime Minister Sharif and expressed his support for Ankara. According to the Turkish presidency, Erdogan praised Pakistan’s “moderate and restrained policies” during the crisis.
In Washington, President Donald Trump said he wants to help eliminate the situation. “I want to see it stopped and if I could do anything to help, I would be there,” he told White House reporters. “We want to see them solve it.”
Udade Chandra, an assistant government professor at Georgetown University in Qatar, said retaliation from Pakistan was expected, but neither country appears to have sought “all-out war.”
Source link
