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The Star
10-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Pakistan says three air bases targeted by Indian missiles
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan said India fired missiles at three air bases early on Saturday including one close to the capital, Islamabad, but Pakistani air defences intercepted most of them as the neighbours extended their worst fighting in nearly three decades. Locked in a longstanding dispute over Kashmir, the two countries have engaged in daily clashes since Wednesday when India launched strikes inside Pakistan on what it called militant bases. Pakistan vowed to retaliate. "India through its planes, launched air to surface missiles... Nur Khan base, Mureed base, and Shorkot base were made targets," Pakistan military spokesman Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said in a late-night televised statement. One of the air bases is in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, which just outside the capital Islamabad, and the other two are in Pakistan's eastern province of Punjab, which neighbours India. The Pakistani military spokesman said only a few missiles made it past air defences, and those did not hit any "air assets," according to initial damage assessments. India's defence and foreign ministries did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours. India said its strikes on Wednesday were retaliation for a deadly attack on Hindu tourists in Indian Kashmir last month. Pakistan denied India's accusations that it was involved in the tourist attack. Since Wednesday, the two countries have exchanged cross-border fire and shelling, and they have sent drones and missiles into each other's airspace. Much of the fighting on Friday was in Indian Kashmir and neighbouring Indian states. India said it shot down Pakistani drones. At least 48 people have been killed since Wednesday, according to casualty estimates on both sides of the border that have not been independently verified. (Reporting by Gibran Peshimam and Ariba Shahid; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
The Star
08-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
US Consulate General in Pakistan's Lahore directs staff to shelter in place
A general view of a damaged portion of a mosque, after it was hit by an Indian strike, in Muridke near Lahore, Pakistan May 7, 2025. REUTERS/Gibran Peshimam (Reuters) -The U.S. Consulate General in Lahore, Pakistan, has directed its staff to shelter in place amid reports of drone explosions, downed drones and possible airspace incursions, the country's State Department said on Thursday. The consulate said it has also received initial reports that authorities may be evacuating some areas adjacent to Lahore's main airport, according to a statement. The move comes as Pakistan said on Thursday it shot down 25 drones from India in its airspace while India said it had "neutralised" Pakistan's attempt to engage military targets using drones and missiles, as the latest conflict between the two nuclear-powered neighbours intensified. (Reporting by Gursimran Kaur in BengaluruEditing by Bernadette Baum)
Straits Times
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Blast heard in Pakistan's Lahore amid tensions with India, Reuters witness says
FILE PHOTO: A man walks inside a mosque after it was hit by an Indian strike, in Muridke near Lahore, Pakistan May 7, 2025. REUTERS/Gibran Peshimam/File Photo NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD - A blast was heard in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore on Thursday morning, according to broadcaster Geo TV and a Reuters witness, a day after Indian strikes at multiple locations in the country and fears of an escalation in conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours. There was no immediate word on the reason for the blast. India hit "terrorist infrastructure" in Pakistan in the early hours of Wednesday, two weeks after it accused the Islamic nation of involvement in an attack in Indian Kashmir in which 26 people - mostly Hindu tourists - were killed. Islamabad had denied the accusation and vowed to retaliate to the missile strikes, also saying it shot down five Indian aircraft. The Indian embassy in Beijing termed reports of fighter jets being shot down as "misinformation". Pakistan says at least 31 of its civilians were killed and about 50 wounded in the strikes and in cross-border shelling that followed, while India says 13 of its civilians died and 43 were wounded. The cross-border exchange of fire tapered off slightly overnight, Indian officials said. India also conducted blackout drills in regions close to its border with Pakistan, including the northern city of Amritsar which houses the Golden Temple revered by Sikhs, in anticipation of retaliation to its strikes. In Pakistan, meanwhile, most cities restored some normalcy and children returned to school, but in the border province of Punjab, hospitals and civil defence authorities remained on high alert. Although Pakistan's federal government has pledged to respond to India's strikes, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told The New York Times on Wednesday that Pakistan was ready to de-escalate. With India saying it would "respond" if Pakistan "responds", global powers have urged a calming of tensions. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he hoped the countries could "work it out", adding he "will be there" if he can help. The relationship between India and Pakistan has been fraught with tension since they gained independence from colonial Britain in 1947, and the countries have fought three wars, two of them over Kashmir. The current escalation in tensions comes at a precarious time for Pakistan's $350 billion economy, which is still recovering from an economic crisis that brought it to the brink of defaulting on external debt obligations in 2023 before it secured funding from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
08-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Blast heard in Pakistan's Lahore amid tensions with India, Reuters witness says
FILE PHOTO: A man walks inside a mosque after it was hit by an Indian strike, in Muridke near Lahore, Pakistan May 7, 2025. REUTERS/Gibran Peshimam/File Photo NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -A blast was heard in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore on Thursday morning, according to broadcaster Geo TV and a Reuters witness, a day after Indian strikes at multiple locations in the country and fears of an escalation in conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours. There was no immediate word on the reason for the blast. India hit "terrorist infrastructure" in Pakistan in the early hours of Wednesday, two weeks after it accused the Islamic nation of involvement in an attack in Indian Kashmir in which 26 people - mostly Hindu tourists - were killed. Islamabad had denied the accusation and vowed to retaliate to the missile strikes, also saying it shot down five Indian aircraft. The Indian embassy in Beijing termed reports of fighter jets being shot down as "misinformation". Pakistan says at least 31 of its civilians were killed and about 50 wounded in the strikes and in cross-border shelling that followed, while India says 13 of its civilians died and 43 were wounded. The cross-border exchange of fire tapered off slightly overnight, Indian officials said. India also conducted blackout drills in regions close to its border with Pakistan, including the northern city of Amritsar which houses the Golden Temple revered by Sikhs, in anticipation of retaliation to its strikes. In Pakistan, meanwhile, most cities restored some normalcy and children returned to school, but in the border province of Punjab, hospitals and civil defence authorities remainedonhighalert. Although Pakistan's federal government has pledged to respond to India's strikes, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told The New York Times on Wednesday that Pakistan was ready to de-escalate. With India saying it would "respond" if Pakistan "responds", global powers have urged a calming of tensions. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he hoped the countries could "work it out", adding he "will be there" if he can help. The relationship between India and Pakistan has been fraught with tension since they gained independence from colonial Britain in 1947, and the countries have fought three wars, two of them over Kashmir. The current escalation in tensions comes at a precarious time for Pakistan's $350 billion economy, which is still recovering from an economic crisis that brought it to the brink of defaulting on external debt obligations in 2023 before it secured funding from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). (Reporting by Saurabh Sharma in Amritsar, Fayaz Bukhari in Srinagar, Charlotte Greenfield in Islamabad; Additional reporting by Shakeel Ahmad in Bengaluru; Writing by Sakshi Dayal; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
Straits Times
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Erdogan conveys Turkey's solidarity to Pakistan PM amid crisis with India
A man walks inside a mosque after it was hit by an Indian strike, in Muridke near Lahore, Pakistan May 7, 2025. REUTERS/Gibran Peshimam ANKARA - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone on Wednesday with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to convey his solidarity after India hit Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir with missiles, the Turkish presidency said. Pakistan, which has strong ties with Turkey, said it had shot down five Indian aircraft and vowed to retaliate further, in the worst clash between the nuclear-armed neighbours in more than two decades. During the call, Erdogan told Sharif that Turkey supported what he called Pakistan's "calm and restrained policies" in the crisis, his office said in a statement. Erdogan also said he found "appropriate" Islamabad's call for an investigation into an Islamist militant attack that triggered the crisis. The militants killed 26 people in Indian Kashmir in the attack on April 22. Pakistan denies Indian accusations that it was linked to the attack. "Erdogan stated that Turkey was ready to do what it can to prevent the tensions from escalating, and that his diplomatic contacts in that regard would continue," it said. Turkey has previously condemned India's attack and called on both sides to act with common sense. Turkey's Foreign Ministry said the latest military action by India created the risk of an "all-out war". Ankara also maintains cordial ties with India. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
