ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Air Force has shot down five Indian Air Force aircraft in retaliation for late-night Indian missile attacks on six Pakistani cities, martyring eight civilians and injuring 35 others.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has confirmed that the Pakistan Air Force has shot down at least five Indian fighter jets.
Speaking to a local media channel, the defence minister said Pakistan had gained the upper hand in its retaliatory action, while responding to the Indian forces’ strikes with strength and precision.
He stressed that the Pakistani armed forces acted decisively to defend the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Security sources said that Pakistani forces are giving a befitting reply to Indian aggression.
According to initial reports, the Pakistan Air Force has shot down five enemy aircraft, and all PAF aircraft are safe.
In retaliatory strikes, the Pakistan Army also destroyed an Indian brigade headquarters, according to security sources. A missile strike by Pakistani forces also wiped out an enemy post in the Dudhniyal sector along the Line of Control (LoC), the sources added.
Five Indian jets down
India has shot down five enemy aircraft in self-defense so far, according to security sources.
“These aircraft were shot down when they were attacking Pakistan using Indian soil. These aircraft include three Rafales, a MiG-29, and an SU-30,” the security sources added.
In addition, the Pakistan Air Force has also shot down a Heron drone and several enemy posts on the LoC.
The security sources said that Pakistan’s all fighter jet involved in the standoff with India are unharmed.
‘Eight martyred, 35 injured’
Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said Indian strikes have resulted in the death of eight Pakistanis and 35 injured so far.
Addressing a press conference, the military spokesperson stated that a total of 24 impacts have been reported by India, with different weapons, in six cities.
“Based on initial damage assessment, in these six localities, eight Pakistanis have been killed, 35 have been injured, and two are missing,” he maintained.
He further said that the Indian forces targeted civilian areas, including mosques and healthcare facilities.
Pakistan downs another Rafale
Pakistan Air Force (PAF) fighter jets downed another Indian warplane, the third in hours, after they launched a retaliatory action against the enemy.
Sources said that the latest Indian Rafale jet was downed 17 nautical miles southwest of Awantipora.
According to the security sources, Pakistani pilots showcased their prowess and hit three Indian fighter planes in a retaliatory action.
Pakistan will not let enemy succeed in its aims: Shehbaz
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan had every right to give a “befitting response” to India after it conducted missile strikes against Pakistan.
“The enemy has carried out a cowardly attack at five locations in Pakistan and we are ready to give a befitting response to this act of war imposed on us,” he said in a statement issued by the PM Office.
The prime minister said the entire nation stood by the country’s armed forces with high morale and spirits. “Our nation and armed forces are undeterred in dealing with the enemy,” he said.
PM Sharif said, “Pakistan will not allow its enemy to succeed in its nefarious objectives.”
Trump calls Indian attack ‘shameless’
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday afternoon that the recent Indian strikes against targets in Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir were a “shame.”
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said he had just heard about the intensification of hostilities that had occurred in recent hours.
Trump hoped that the fighting between India and Pakistan would end “very quickly”.
PM Sharif calls NSC meeting
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has condemned what he called cowardly attacks by India on five locations inside Pakistan, vowing that the country has every right to respond with full force.
“The enemy has once again shown its deceitful nature,” the premier said, adding that Pakistan reserves the right to give a powerful reply to Indian aggression.
He asserted that both the nation and the armed forces know well how to confront and defeat the enemy.
The prime minister has also summoned a meeting of the National Security Committee in Islamabad to review the situation.
The NSC meeting has been scheduled for 10 o’clock this morning, according to the Information Minister Attaullah Tarar.
India’s cowardly attack on Pakistan
India has launched missiles at three cities of Pakistan, targeting the civilian population, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed.
DG ISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry confirmed that India has launched missiles from its airspace in Bahawalpur, Kotli, and Muzaffarabad.
Reacting to the India attack, the military spokesperson said: “All of our air force jets are airborne. This is a shameful and cowardly attack that was carried out from within India’s airspace.”
“They were never allowed to intrude Pakistan’s airspace”.
“Let me say it unequivocally, Pakistan will respond to this [attack] at a time and place of its choosing,” warned the DG ISPR.
“This provocation will not go unanswered.”
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