India launches ‘precision strikes' on Pakistan, retaliation looms

News.com.au

06-05-2025

Pakistan's Prime Minister has labelled Indian air strikes on its territory – which reportedly killed at least three people – an 'act of war' as retaliation looms.
India on Wednesday confirmed its military conducted 'precision strikes at terrorist camps' in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, days after it blamed Islamabad for a deadly attack on the Indian side of the disputed region.
'A little while ago, the Indian Armed Forces launched 'OPERATION SINDOOR', hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed,' the government said in a statement.
India has said it had hit nine sites, with Pakistan Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif labelling the attacks 'cowardly' in a post on X.
'Pakistan has every right to respond forcefully to this act of war imposed by India, and a forceful response is being given,' he wrote.
'The entire nation stands with the Pakistani armed forces, and the morale and spirit of the entire Pakistani nation are high.
'The Pakistani nation and the Pakistani armed forces know how to deal with the enemy.
'We will never allow the enemy to succeed in their nefarious goals.'
Earlier, the Pakistani army announced towns in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and another in Punjab, bordering India, were targeted in what it called a 'heinous provocation'.
'Pakistan will respond to (India's attacks) at a time and place of its own choosing,' military spokesperson Lieutenant-General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said.
At least three civilians, including a child, were killed, according to Pakistan's Minister of Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif.
'They have targeted multiple locations, which all are civilian … We have confirmed reports of three civilians killed that includes one child,' Mr Asif told AFP.
Confirmed strike locations inside Pakistan so far include Bahawalpur, Kotli, Muzaffarabad, Bagh, and Muridke, according to local media.
A state of emergency has been declared in Punjab, Pakistan's most-populous province, with schools closed and the leave of medical staff and civil defence personal cancelled.
It marks a major escalation between the nuclear-armed neighbours, which have been engaged in cross-border gunfire since a terror attack on Indian nationals in Kashmir two weeks ago.
New Delhi has blamed Islamabad for backing the attack, which killed 26 people, sparking a series of heated threats and diplomatic tit-for-tat measures.
Pakistan rejects the accusations, and the two sides have exchanged nightly gunfire since April 24 along the de facto border in Kashmir, the militarised Line of Control, according to the Indian army.
Speaking at the White House after the strikes, US President Donald Trump said he hoped the conflict would end 'very quickly'.
'It's a shame, we just heard about it,' he said.
'I guess people knew something was going to happen based on the past. They've been fighting for many, many decades and centuries, actually, if you really think about it.'
India and Pakistan have fought three full-scale wars since gaining independence from the British in 1947.
Both claim Kashmir in full but administer separate portions of the disputed region.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was 'very concerned' about the strikes, according to his spokesperson.
'The Secretary-General is very concerned about the Indian military operations across the Line of Control and international border. He calls for maximum military restraint from both countries,' Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson, said.
'The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan.'