CliffNotes
- India launches missile attacks on Pakistan
- 14 people have been killed so far
- India blames Pakistan for a terrorist attack last month
- Pakistan denies involvement
- Pakistan says it will respond
India launches missile attacks on Pakistan and Pakistan-administer Kashmir
What Happened
India has launched missile attacks on Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. So far, at least 19 people have been killed and 38 injured. Pakistan says it has shot down five Indian air jets.
The airstrikes come following a deadly attack on tourists in the Indian-administered portion of Kashmir last month. Indian authorities say they have evidence linking the attack to Pakistan-based militants with external support – Pakistan rejects such a claim and says they had no involvement in the attack.
What Comes Next
The details of the attack are still emerging, with varying reports on how many separate attacks have taken place, how many injuries and the death toll.
Pakistan has said Islamabad will respond “at a time and place of its choosing,” meaning it will take a great diplomatic push to stop this from escalating into a war.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif labelled the attacks acts of cowardice whilst saying:
“Pakistan has the right to fully respond to the Indian-imposed military action, and a befitting response is being given
“The entire nation stands with the Pakistani armed forces.”
Reaction From The Media
- Al Jazeera says the attacks have prompted fears the neighbours are on the brink of war.
- The Daily Mail reports Russia’s foreign ministry that it was deeply concerned about the deepening military confrontation between India and Pakistan and that it called for both countries to show restraint.
- Daily Express reports “fighting has erupted between the two nuclear-armed nations” with Pakistan’s PM declaring it an ‘act of war’.
- The Guardian reports at least eight people, including a child, have been killed and 35 injured after India launched attacks on what it claimed were nine sites of “terrorist infrastructure” inside Pakistan.
- The Telegraph says “For all the martial messaging from Delhi, careful language has pointed not to open runaway conflict, but to a history of tit-for-tat action and managed confrontations.”