Pakistan, vowing retribution for what it called an “act of war,” said the strikes killed 26 people and injured 46 others.
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Tensions Soar as India Launches Missile Strikes on Pakistan Following Kashmir Attack
India launched missile strikes on Pakistan Wednesday, marking a dramatic escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbors just two weeks after a terrorist attack in Indian-administered Kashmir claimed 26 lives.
Pakistan condemned the strikes as an “act of war,” stating they targeted nine locations in Punjab province and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. According to Pakistani officials, 26 people were killed and 46 injured, including six worshippers at two mosques and two teenagers elsewhere.
India maintained that the strikes were aimed solely at “terror camps” and avoided civilian or military targets, emphasizing that “considerable restraint” was exercised in selecting the locations.
“Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature,” the Indian defense ministry said in a statement.
Fires Rage and Power Outages Follow India’s Missile Strikes on Pakistan
The strikes have left a trail of destruction, further intensifying tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations.
India Accuses Pakistan of Supporting Terrorism After Kashmir Massacre
India has blamed Pakistan for last month’s massacre of 26 civilians, most of whom were tourists, in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir—a disputed Himalayan region claimed by both nations. The April 22 attack, the deadliest targeting Indian civilians in nearly two decades, has further strained relations between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
India, which has long accused Pakistan of backing cross-border terrorism, criticized Pakistan for failing to act against militant groups allegedly responsible for the attack. In a statement, the Indian Embassy in Washington said: “It was expected that Pakistan would take action against terrorists and the infrastructure that supports them. Instead, during the fortnight that has gone by, Pakistan has indulged in denial and made allegations of false flag operations against India.”
Pakistan, however, denies any involvement in the massacre and has called for a “neutral” investigation into the incident, rejecting India’s claims as baseless.
At least three civilians were also killed in shelling by Pakistani troops in Indian-controlled Kashmir, the Indian army said.
The strikes started at 1:05 a.m. (3:35 p.m. ET Tuesday) and lasted for 25 minutes, Col. Sofiya Qureshi, an Indian army officer, told a news briefing Wednesday. India responded with “precision capability” to avoid “collateral damage,” said Indian air force Wing Cdr. Vyomika Singh.
New Delhi had intelligence that indicated “further attacks against India are impending,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said in the news briefing, adding the strikes were both a response to last month’s attack and a deterrent against future attacks.
“Pakistan has every right to give a robust response to this act of war imposed by India, and a strong response is indeed being given,” said Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has convened a meeting of his National Security Committee for Wednesday morning.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called on both countries’ militaries to exercise restraint.
“The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan,” he said in a statement.
The U.S. National Security Council said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken with his counterparts in both countries.
“He is encouraging India and Pakistan to reopen a channel between their leadership to defuse the situation and prevent further escalation,” spokesperson Brian Hughes said.
Speaking to reporters earlier, President Donald Trump called the conflict “a shame” and said, “I just hope it ends very quickly.”
China, which borders both countries, called the strikes “regrettable” and urged both sides to “act in the larger interest of peace and stability.”
Leaders in India hailed the strikes, with Defense Minister Rajnath Singh saying “Glory to mother India!” while Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said, “The world must show zero tolerance for terrorism.”
As dawn broke, Pakistan announced all schools in Punjab as well as the Islamabad Capital Territory would be closed for the day. Commercial flights were also disrupted and some airports were reportedly closed.
The strikes were known as Operation Sindoor in a reference to the red vermilion that newly married Hindu women wear in their hair to symbolize love and devotion. During the attack on a group of tourists in Kashmir, militants identified non-Muslims and then separated the men from the women and children, killing husbands in front of their wives.
Muslim-majority Pakistan and Hindu-majority India have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir, the only Muslim-majority region in India and one of the most militarized places in the world. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Hindu nationalist, says his 2019 revocation of Kashmir’s semiautonomous status ended a decades-long separatist insurgency and allowed tourism to flourish, a narrative that was shattered by the attack last month.
Since the attack, India has threatened to disrupt Pakistan’s water supply and closed the only functional land border crossing. There has also been a crackdown in Kashmir, with officials making hundreds of arrests and demolishing the family homes of suspected militants.
The two countries have closed their airspaces to each other’s airlines, suspended or revoked some visas for each other’s nationals and suspended trade. India has also held civil defense drills, while Pakistan has test-fired missiles.
