India Launches Missile Strikes on Nine Sites in Pakistan Including Kashmir
Pakistan Vows Retaliation... Gunfire Exchanged
UN and US Urge Restraint
Tensions between India and Pakistan, already heightened by the recent Kashmir terror incident, escalated further on May 7 (local time) as the two countries exchanged missile attacks. Concerns are rising that the conflict between these two "de facto nuclear powers" could develop into a full-scale war.
According to reports from the Associated Press and other outlets, India launched missiles targeting Pakistan in the early hours of the day.
The Indian government announced in a statement that it had launched "Operation Sindhur," attacking nine locations in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. However, it added that the operation did not target Pakistani military facilities.
The Pakistani military stated that India attacked six locations, resulting in eight deaths and 38 injuries.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared, "Pakistan has the right to respond firmly to India's acts of war provocation, and in fact, a strong response is already underway." The Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized the Indian Air Force for carrying out blatant and unjustified acts of aggression against civilian residential areas.
The Pakistani government stated that it would retaliate against India's military operation "at a time and place of its choosing." Officials told the Associated Press that Pakistan had launched a retaliatory strike, but did not disclose specific details.
A spokesperson for the Pakistani military said that five Indian aircraft had been shot down and that gunfire had been exchanged with Indian forces along the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border in Kashmir.
India, in a statement, said that Pakistan had shelled the Line of Control in the Bimber Gali area of Indian-administered Kashmir.
The international community moved to de-escalate the conflict. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a statement urging restraint, saying, "The world cannot afford a military conflict between India and Pakistan." U.S. President Donald Trump also expressed regret and stated, "I hope this situation will end soon."
Tensions between India and Pakistan have remained at a critical level since a shooting terror attack near the Pahalgam resort area in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22 left 26 people dead and 17 injured. India pressured Pakistan, accusing it of being behind the terror attack, while Pakistan denied any involvement and responded accordingly. The two countries engaged in small-scale skirmishes along the Line of Control for ten consecutive days up to the previous day. On the previous day, India blocked the flow of tributary waters of the Indus River into Pakistan, and Pakistan warned that it would consider this an act of war, even raising the possibility of a nuclear strike.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
