State-run Pakistan TV said on Saturday that India is carrying out retaliation after launching missiles at three air bases in Pakistan. It provides no details and it is unclear which military locations in India are targeted.
State-run media reported: “Multiple locations in India are targeted at the target of retaliation attacks.”
A Pakistan Army spokesman said on Saturday that India fired three airborne shots inside Pakistan, but most of the missiles were intercepted. This is the latest escalation in the conflict triggered by the shooting massacre that India blames Pakistan for killing Pakistan.
This is the latest:
___
Hours before Pakistan claimed India's claim to push missiles on its territory to target air bases, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with leaders including Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Army, Navy and Air Force.
Videos released overnight by Modi's office showed Indian military officials taking notes on the discussion. This video does not include sound.
____
Officials said Saturday that a civil administrator was killed and two other Pakistani shelling near the high military control line in India-controlled Kashmir was injured.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the official was killed when Pakistan Shell attacked a house in Rajuri town earlier on Saturday.
Police said two of the officer's staff members were seriously injured in the incident.
Indian and Pakistani soldiers exchanged large numbers of cannons and gunfires on the control line, allocating the disputed Kashmir region between two nuclear weapons competitors.
Indian officials said Pakistani troops attacked their posts with artillery, mortars and gunshots in India. They said Indian soldiers responded.
Saturday's killings have left Indian-controlled Kashmir dead at 19 years old since the latest military stalemate began on Wednesday. Pakistan said Indian mortar and artillery fires killed 17 civilians in Kashmir, which was managed in Pakistan during the same period.
___
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said the country exercised several days of restraint in the face of repeated Indian aggression, and launched a retaliatory strike after several days of exercise.
"There is no other option because India has no sincerity for the diplomatic efforts of friendly countries," Dahl told Geo News.
He said Pakistan has made it clear on several occasions that it reserves the right to respond under the provisions of the UN Charter, adding: “We only take action after India continues to fire drones and missiles.”
He accused India of escalation, saying that India has not responded positively to the international community's efforts to resolve the situation. Dahl said the world wants peace in the region, but India has ignored all requests from the international community.
___
The New Delhi Ministry of Finance said it would reject it at a key meeting held by the International Monetary Fund on Friday, which convened a series of bailout packages in Islamabad. A statement from the Indian Ministry of Finance said that in the objection, New Delhi raised concerns about the effectiveness of the IMF program in Pakistan because of its “bad record” and the possibility of “abuse of state-funded debt financing funds for state-funded cross-border terrorism”.
___
The state-run Pakistan TV reported on Saturday morning that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif convened a meeting of the State Command, which oversees the country's missile program and other strategic assets. The meeting will be attended by the heads of the armed forces, intelligence chiefs and senior cabinet members. The latest developments are expected to be reviewed after Pakistan's retaliatory strike against India.
___
According to the Civil Aviation Administration of the country, Pakistan has closed all airports and engaged in all flight operations.
It said in a statement that it had decided to close all aviation space in Pakistan's airspace due to developments following the attacks in India.
___
The explosion was heard by former senior police officer of Indian-controlled Kashmir, Shesh Paul Vaid. He added that it appears to be the target of the Army site.
India's Ministry of Defense and Foreign Affairs and its armed forces did not immediately comment.
___
Life in major Pakistani cities remained normal Saturday morning despite the Indian attack.
Once people learned that Pakistan had launched a retaliatory strike against India, residents of major Pakistan cities were found to raise slogans to support the country's armed forces.
"Thank God, we finally responded to India's aggression," said Muhammad Ashraf, 28.
Punjab Muhammad Rizwan In Multan City, Pakistani armed forces have won the hearts of the entire country by taking strong actions against India. "The entire Pakistani country has united against Indian aggression," the young man said.
He added: “My family and I are ready to shed blood for Pakistan and its armed forces at any time.”
___
Saudi Arabia's junior foreign minister Adel Bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir met with senior officials from India and Pakistan this week as part of a country's efforts to ease ongoing tensions between nuclear weapons competitors.
In a statement posted on social media platform X on Saturday, the Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry said in its visit essentially demanded “degradation, ending the ongoing military confrontation and resolving all disputes through dialogue and diplomatic channels.”
___
An explosion and gunfire were heard in Peshawar, a northwestern city in Pakistan on Saturday morning.
A security official said the local air base had activated its defense systems to remove the drone. Officials spoke on anonymous because they had no right to speak with the media.
The official did not provide further details, including the number of drones or Indians.
- Contributed by Riazat Butt
___
Srinagar resident Mohammed Yasin said he had heard at least two explosions.
"Our home shaking and the windows rattled," he said.
___
Saturday's explosions were in the two major cities of Srinagar and Jamu in the disputed area, as well as the garrison town of Udhampl.
"The explosion we heard today is different from the explosion we heard in the last two nights," said Sheesh Paul Vaid, a former senior police officer in the area who searched for Chamu. "It looks like a war here."
___
The team of seven countries (or G7) urged India and Pakistan to "maximum limit" as hostilities.
"Further military escalation poses a serious threat to regional stability. We are deeply concerned about the security of civilians on both sides," Canada's representative G7 Foreign Minister said on Friday.
"We call for immediate downgrade and encourage direct peaceful dialogue between the two countries," the statement said.
___
Indian troops said in a statement late Friday that drones were seen in 26 locations in the Indian state with Pakistan and Indian-controlled Kashmir, including major Srinagar cities in the region.
It said the drone was tracked and involved.
"This situation is subject to close observation and timely action where necessary," the statement said.
___
Defense analyst Syed Mohammad Ali said Pakistan launched a retaliatory strike after exercising its greatest restraint.
He said Pakistan is using its ballistic missiles to strike Indian military facilities that launched the latest attack on Pakistan.
"The world knows that Pakistan exercises its greatest restraint. We give diplomatic opportunities when friendly countries work to weaken the situation, but India has been obsessed with aggression," he said.