The Indian military launched precision strikes against nine terror camps in Pakistan and PoK in the early hours of Wednesday — two weeks after a deadly attack left 26 dead and several others injured in Pahalgam. Islamabad has since vowed to deliver a ‘forceful’ response to the attack at a ‘time and place of its own choosing’.
“The cunning enemy has carried out cowardly attacks on five locations in Pakistan. Pakistan has every right to respond forcefully to this act of war imposed by India, and a forceful response is being given. 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,” insisted PM Shehbaz Sharif in a social media post.
Army spokesman Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry also confirmed in conversation with ARY News channel that India had launched air strikes in “Bahwalpur’s Ahmed East area, Kotli and Muzaffarabad at three places”.
“All of our air force jets are airborne. This cowardly and shameful attack was carried out from within India’s airspace. They were never allowed to come and intrude into the space of Pakistan. Let me say it unequivocally: Pakistan will respond to this at a time and place of its own choosing. This heinous provocation will not go unanswered,” he added.
A statement released by India soon after the strikes said that the strikes had been conducted in retaliation against the barbaric Pahalgam that left 26 people dead and several others injured. A press release from the Indian Embassy in Washington DC said the country had “credible leads, technical inputs, testimony of the survivors and other evidence pointing towards the clear involvement of Pakistan-based terrorists” in the April 22 attack.
“It was expected that Pakistan would take action against terrorists and the infrastructure that supports them. Instead, during the fortnight that has gone by, Pakistan has indulged in denial and made allegations of false flag operations against India,” it added.