Pakistan has issued threats of further retaliation, claiming that India targeted three military bases with missiles launched from fighter jets, marking a significant escalation between the two nuclear-armed countries.
In a live broadcast, Pakistani military spokesman Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry stated, “India attacked with missiles, including direct assaults on the NurKhan, Murid, and Shorkot bases.” He also mentioned that most missiles were intercepted by Pakistan’s air defense systems.
“Just wait for us to respond,” he cautioned India.
The Nuru Khan Air Force Base in Rawalpindi, which serves as the military’s headquarters, is located roughly 10 kilometers from Islamabad.
A video circulating on social media depicted flames and smoke lighting up the night sky, with voices noting that the attack targeted the NurKhan base as fighter planes flew overhead.
This incident followed claims from India that Pakistan had executed a new drone strike against it, while Pakistan alleged that an Indian ballistic missile had landed in its territory.
Pakistan stated, “We have received disturbing news that India launched six ballistic missiles from Adampur, with one strike in Adampur being leftover from five missiles that impacted near Amritsar in Punjab.”
Additionally, an explosion was reported overnight in Amritsar, reminiscent of occurrences in Jammu and Srinagar in Kashmir.
Earlier, India charged Pakistan with launching an attack the previous Thursday using up to 400 drones aimed at various cities, military bases, and religious sites within India.
India claimed to have intercepted hundreds of these drones, which were said to have crossed into India-controlled Kashmir, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Gujarat. The first wave of drones arrived on Thursday evening, with another wave encountering near dawn on Friday.
Moreover, India has conducted four drone strikes targeting military infrastructure within Pakistan.
During a press conference, Indian forces alleged that Thursday’s drone strike targeted a Gurdwara, a Sikh place of worship, injuring civilians, and that drones also hit a Christian church.
“Attacking temples and gurdwaras represents a new low for Pakistan,” remarked Vikram Mithri, India’s Foreign Secretary.
In response, Pakistani Information Minister Ataura Talar rejected the allegations of drone attacks, calling the Indian military’s statements “misleading” and asserting that Pakistan has not engaged in aggressive actions in Indian-administered Kashmir or across its borders.
Nevertheless, Pakistani security officials noted that the recent drone strike was raising tensions ahead of what they hinted might be a comprehensive retaliatory operation. “Everyone will know when we fight back,” they stated.
Mithri criticized Pakistan’s denial of the drone attacks, labeling it as deceitful and indicative of confusion.
The situation escalated further with India launching attacks on nine locations in Pakistan on Wednesday, a response to a deadly incident in Kashmir where extremists killed 25 Hindu tourists and guides the previous month.
Pakistan perceived this as an “act of war” and has vowed to retaliate.
“We will not escalate the situation. They should be made to pay for the damage India has inflicted on us,” emphasized Chaudhry, the Pakistani military spokesperson, during a media briefing. “Up until now, we’ve been acting in self-defense, but we will respond at a time of our choosing.”
The Pakistani military shared new details about Wednesday’s strike, indicating that they had deployed over 100 aircraft to counter the assaults from Indian jets operating from their airspace. They described an hour-long aerial dogfight between the two sides.
Pakistan also claimed the use of Chinese-made weapons and ground air defenses to repel five Indian fighter jets. India has not commented on claims of one of its planes being downed, although remnants from at least three fighter jets, including one believed to be a French Rafale, have been reported in Indian-controlled Kashmir and Punjab.
