News
May 09, 2025
31 Civilians Killed as India Strikes at Sevral Locations in PakistanIslamabad: Pakistan’s military spokesman said on Wednesday India had fired missiles at five locations, vowing that the country would respond to the attacks at a “time and place of its own choosing.”
The development comes amid heightened tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors in the aftermath of an attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir last month in which 26 people were killed.
India, without providing evidence publicly, has accused Pakistan of involvement in the attack in the hill station of Pahalgam and vowed to respond. Pakistan has denied involvement and several top officials have spoken since of intelligence that India was planning to attack.
“Five places, Kotli, Ahmedpur East, Muzaffarabad, Bagh and Muridke, have been attacked,” Pakistan military spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told local broadcaster Geo News.
“Two civilians have been killed in Kotli and one child has been killed and 12 injured in Ahmedpur East.”
Ahmedpur East is a historic city located in the Bahawalpur District of southern Punjab, while Muridke is also located in Punjab. Bagh, Muzaffarabad and Kotli are in Azad Kashmir, which is part of the disputed Himalayan region governed by Pakistan.
Speaking separately to ARY News, Chaudhry said Pakistan had scrambled jets in response to the Indian attacks, adding that no Indian planes had entered Pakistan’s airspace.
“Let me say unequivocally that Pakistan will respond at a time and place of its own choosing to this cowardly attack, this heinous provocation will not go unanswered,” the military spokesman added.
According to an Indian government statement, its armed forces launched “Operation Sindoor,” hitting nine sites in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir from where it said the Pahalgam attack had been “planned and directed.”
No Pakistani military facilities had been targeted, the statement added.
Kashmir has been disputed between India and Pakistan since 1947. Both rule it in part and claim it in full.Reuters adds: Amid a nearly 80-year-old territorial dispute over Kashmir , India's offensive followed an attack that killed 26 tourists in Indian Kashmir last month. India said Pakistan-based militants were responsible, but Pakistan denied involvement.
Calling its campaign "Operation Sindoor", India said it struck nine Pakistani sites on Wednesday that were "terrorist infrastructure" where attacks against it were orchestrated. Islamabad said six Pakistani locations were targeted.
Indian forces attacked the headquarters of Islamist militant groups Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba, an Indian defence source told Reuters. "India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution," a statement from India said.
Pakistan said India hit three sites with missiles, and a military spokesman told Reuters his country shot down five Indian aircraft, a claim not confirmed by India.
The countries' armies also exchanged intense shelling and heavy gunfire across much of their de facto border in the Himalayan region of Kashmir, police and witnesses told Reuters.
"In an unprovoked and blatant act of war," Indian fighter jets remained in Indian airspace but "violated Pakistan's sovereignty using standoff weapons, targeting civilian population", the Pakistani foreign ministry said.
Since a 2003 ceasefire, to which both countries recommitted in 2021, targeted strikes between the neighbours are extremely rare, especially Indian strikes on Pakistani areas outside Pakistani Kashmir.
After the explosions on Wednesday, Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani Kashmir, lost power, witnesses said.
A Pakistani military spokesman said there were 35 people injured and two missing.
The News adds: Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said on Wednesday that the death toll from unprovoked Indian attacks on different cities of Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) rose to 31 while the number of injured climbed to 57.
India launched strikes on Pakistan and AJK early Wednesday morning, an assault that Islamabad called a "blatant act of war" as tensions spiraled between the nuclear-armed rivals following a deadly attack on tourists in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) last month.
Islamabad said six Pakistani locations, from mosques to hydropower projects, were targeted, with two dozen weapon impacts.
In retaliation and a befitting response, the Pakistan armed forces shot down five Indian Air Force (IAF) jets, seven drones, destroyed a brigade headquarters and a number of check-posts along the Line of Control (LoC).
Addressing a press conference, the DG ISPR revealed that a major reason for the increase in casualties was India’s continued unprovoked firing on the LoC.
The strikes last night exposed India’s disgusting face, he said, adding: “Our enemy is so cowardly that instead of confronting our military forces head-on, it attacks unarmed civilians and populated areas in the darkness.”
He added that such actions highlight India’s desperation and its shift from supporting proxy elements to direct acts of aggression.
“When we made life difficult for terrorist proxies, India resorted to using its own military to carry out acts of terror,” he said. “Targeting innocent citizens and children — if that’s not terrorism, then what is?”
The DG ISPR questioned which terrorists were killed by targeting civilians and population centers.
Showing videos of civilians, including children, impacted by the Indian attacks, the military spokesperson questioned if these were the "terrorists" whom India claimed it was targeting on the night of May 6 and 7.
The military spokesperson added that the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower project was also shelled by Indian forces.
Referring to Article 54 of the 1977 Additional Protocol 1 of the Geneva Conventions, the military’s spokesperson said that it was prohibited to attack, destroy, remove or render useless objects that were indispensable to the survival of the civilian population, such as drinking water supplies/installations and irrigation works.
Lt Gen Chaudhry said that the Pakistan armed forces responded with precision to Indian aggression by engaging only military targets.
“In self-defense, our forces struck only military targets. We did not resort to targeting innocent civilians like the cowardly enemy,” said Gen Chaudhry.
He confirmed that the Pakistan Air Force shot down five Indian fighter jets, including three Rafales, in what he termed as an exceptional air battle. “Such aerial combat is rarely witnessed — we are proud of our air force.”
He further said India's violations along the LoC and ceasefire breaches have exposed its aggressive and destabilizing role before the world.
“From launching unprovoked attacks on our borders to supporting terrorism through proxies, India has repeatedly shown its malicious intent,” he added.
The ISPR chief affirmed that the protection of Pakistan’s people and territory is non-negotiable, saying that there would be no compromise on the safety of "our citizens or the sovereignty of our land".
He reiterated Pakistan’s resolve to defend itself against any aggression. “Pakistan reserves the right to self-defense and will exercise it when necessary,” the military spokesperson affirmed.
He lauded the unity between the nation and its armed forces, stating, “Our forces are proud of the people, and the people have unwavering faith in their military. We are one against the enemy.”
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