Pakistan authorizes attack on India

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - International Service: Following the Indian army's overnight attacks on Pakistani territory that killed at least 26 civilians and injured 46 others, Shehbaz Sharif announced that Islamabad is ready to respond to New Delhi.

 

According to Reuters, this is the most intense military tension between the two nuclear rivals in more than two decades.

 

The Indian government has claimed that it has attacked nine "terrorist infrastructure" bases in Pakistani territory in response to a deadly attack in the Pahalgam area of ​​Indian-controlled Kashmir (on April 22) in which 26 people were killed.

 

The Pakistani military said the strikes targeted areas including Ahmedpur East, Meridke, Sialkot, Shakargarh in Punjab province, as well as the cities of Quetta and Muzaffarabad in Azad Kashmir (under Pakistani control).

 

In response to the strikes, Pakistani military spokesman Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said five Indian fighter jets and one attack drone were targeted and shot down in the attack. He named three Rafale fighter jets, a MiG-29 and a Su-57 as among them.

 

According to the report, the Pakistani Prime Minister’s Office, citing Article 51 of the UN Charter, which reserves the right to self-defense for countries, said in an official statement: “Pakistan reserves the right, in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter, to take retaliatory measures at a time, place and in a manner it determines, in defense of the lives of innocent civilians and its national sovereignty.”

 

The statement also said, “Pakistan’s armed forces are officially authorized to take necessary countermeasures in this regard.”

The Pakistani Prime Minister continued, “India has once again fanned the flames of war in the region against all logic and reason, and New Delhi will bear full responsibility for the consequences of this action.”

 

At the same time, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry summoned the Indian charge d’affaires and conveyed Islamabad’s strong protest over what it called “unprovoked and provocative attacks.”

 

The ministry’s statement warned that “such reckless behavior by India poses a serious threat to regional peace and stability.”

 

India’s narrative: Attack on terrorist bases

In contrast, Indian military spokesmen claimed in a press conference that the attacks were carried out on centers belonging to militant groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba. According to them, these bases were training, arms, recruitment and brainwashing centers.

 

They also claimed to have used special weapons and advanced technology in their attacks to avoid damage to infrastructure and civilians, although they did not provide details of the equipment.

 

“Intelligence indicated that more attacks were coming from Pakistan-based terrorist groups, so preventive action was inevitable,” Indian Foreign Ministry Secretary Vikram Misri told the meeting.

 

He also accused Pakistan of not taking any action to deal with the “terrorist infrastructure” after the Pahalgam attack, adding that “Pakistan is still not accountable for supporting these groups.”