At least 31 innocent civilians, including children and women, were martyred and 71 others sustained injuries after Indian forces fired missiles at six different locations in Pakistan in the night between May 6 and 7, the military spokesperson said on Wednesday.
Director General, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told a press conference that Indian troops also launched cowardly attacks across the Line of Control (LoC), deliberately targeting civilian populations and places of worships.
In the wee hours of Wednesday, India launched missile strikes on six cities in Punjab and AJK, following a long posture and sabre-rattling over the Pahalgam attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir on April 22.
The DG ISPR said early in the morning that cowardly Indian forces carried out unprovoked strikes across six locations in Pakistan, making "24 impacts". He said that the strikes targeted mosques and civilian neighbourhoods.
He identified the struck sites as Masjid Subhan in Ahmadpur East; Masjid Bilal in Muzaffarabad; Masjid Abbas in Kotli; Mughalpura Mosque in Muridke; and an empty dispensary in Shakargarh. Besides a missile misfired and another fell in an open field in Kotli Loharan in Sialkot district. The deadliest attack was in Ahmadpur East, where 10 members of the same family were among the martyrs.
The military spokesperson told the press conference that the Pakistan Armed Forces were giving a befitting reply to India's naked aggression and an act of blatant terrorism, adding that no Pakistan Army personnel or Pakistan Air Force (PAF) aircraft were harmed in these clashes.
The DG ISPR said that 31 civilians, including children, were martyred and 71 injured in attacks by Indian forces on Pakistan's civilian population. He said a major reason for the increase in casualties was India's continued unprovoked firing on the Line of Control (LoC) and ceasefire violations.
"These innocent children had a life ahead. Were they terrorists whom India targeted? We expected this barbarity from India," he said. "Now, the evidence of India promoting terrorism is before the world. Today everyone knows at the global level that India is involved in terrorism and killings."
DG ISPR said that when the state of Pakistan started tightening the noose around the terrorists, India itself embarked on terrorist operations with its army. "Targeting children in the night of 6th and 7th is terrorism and we will give a befitting reply to this terrorism," he said.
Such acts, Gen Chaudhry said, showed the extremist and irrational mindset behind Indian military planning under the current leadership, with no regard for human life, international laws, or aviation safety.
"At that time, there were 57 international flights operating inside Pakistan's airspace," he stated, adding that the consequences of any of those being hit "perhaps did not cross the minds of those who were undertaking this senseless aggression".
The Pakistan Armed Forces responded swiftly and effectively, giving a "befitting reply" to the Indian aggression, he said. He added that heavy Indian shelling along the LoC continued that claimed five more lives, including a five-year-old child.
"The Army responded fully to the Indian aggression and destroyed several checkposts," he said and showed footage of a destroyed brigade headquarters from where, he said, India was violating the LoC ceasefire, as well as a unit battalion headquarters. Chhatri, Jura and Sarlia-1 posts were also hit, he said.
"The targeted areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir [AJK] had recently been visited by international media, which had already exposed the baseless Indian propaganda and claims. Striking these same sites seems like a desperate attempt to justify their false narrative through violence."
The DG ISPR confirmed that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) shot down five Indian fighter jets – three Rafale jets, a MiG-29, a Su-30 – and an Israeli-made Heron drone. "Not a single Pakistani aircraft crossed into Indian airspace, and none of the Indian jets were allowed to enter ours," Gen Chaudhry said.
The DG ISPR said that Pakistan's response was purely defensive and triggered only after Indian aircraft attempted to violate its airspace. He added that the PAF could have shot down more than 10 aircraft but chose to show maturity and strategic restraint.
DG ISPR said India had also targeted the Nauseri Dam near the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project, causing damage to critical infrastructure and endangering thousands of civilians. "Targeting water reservoirs is not only illegal under international laws but also poses a humanitarian risk."
DG ISPR said that the nation has faith in the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Army has faith in its brave nation. "We will defend the homeland with unity. Pakistan Army will never compromise on the safety of the people. The nation stands by the Army for that I pay tribute to them on behalf of the Army."
Calling on the international community, especially the global aviation and water rights organisations, he urged immediate notice of India's provocations, which pose a serious threat to regional peace and civilian safety.
Airports fully operational
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA), In a series of updates, confirmed on Wednesday that all airports across the country were fully operational, with the national airspace was safe and available for civil aviation.
It clarified that despite tensions, effective and secure management of Pakistan's airspace continues to ensure the uninterrupted and peaceful flow of both domestic and international commercial flights. However, due to operational requirements, the PAA has issued a new notice to airmen (NOTAM), temporarily suspending several flight routes in Lahore's airspace.
The aviation authority had initially declared a full shutdown of Pakistan's airspace following India strikes. The closure, set for 48 hours, led to the suspension of all flights, and passengers were instructed to return home. The flight operations at Lahore Airport resumed after a temporary suspensions.
At the same time, air operations at Islamabad International Airport have also been restored. Flights arriving in Islamabad will be permitted to land following assistance from air traffic control (ATC). The authority also confirmed that partial operations in Islamabad's airspace have resumed.
Pakistan has also allowed foreign airlines to use its airspace for flights headed to India. On Wednesday, Uzbekistan Airways flight UZB-423, travelling from Tashkent to Delhi, entered Indian Punjab through Lahore's airspace.
According to CAA sources, the aircraft briefly deviated from its scheduled route near Kashmir and passed through Lahore. Importantly, the PAA has formally informed the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) of the serious threats posed to civil aviation due to India's irresponsible actions.
Funeral of young martyr
The funeral prayer for 7-year-old Irtaza Abbas Turi, son of Lt Col Zaheer Abbas Turi, who was martyred in Dawarandi, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), due to unprovoked Indian cross-border aggression, was solemnly held today in Islamabad, the ISPR said in a statement.
The funeral was attended by President Asif Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif; Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif; Information Minister Atta Tarar; Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf, a large number of senior serving and retired military officers and soldiers, government officials, and relatives of the martyr.
Following the funeral prayers, the prime minister condemned India's unprovoked aggression, stating that the deliberate targeting of innocent civilians, including children, women, and the elderly, was a reprehensible act of cowardice. He emphasised that such reckless acts reflected the aggressive and hubristic mindset of the Indian government, posing a grave threat to regional and global peace.
The president and the prime minister affirmed that the valiant Armed Forces of Pakistan were resolutely confronting Indian forces across all fronts, delivering a strong and uncompromising response. They reiterated that these blatant violations of international law and humanitarian norms would be met with decisive action.
The president and the prime minister prayed that may Allah grant eternal peace to the departed souls of this cruel act of aggression by India and bestow strength upon their families to bear this irreparable loss. Ameen.
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