At Least 26 Killed, 46 Injured in Pakistan After Indian Missile Strikes

A sudden series of Indian missile and aerial strikes early Wednesday struck multiple sites in Pakistan’s Punjab province and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, killing 26 civilians—including women and a three-year-old child—and injuring 46, according to Pakistani officials.

Hospitals in the affected areas were inundated with the wounded as residents described buildings shaking and scenes of chaos.

Pakistani authorities reported that at least nine locations were hit, including residential neighborhoods and mosques, some of which suffered collapsed roofs and damaged minarets.

Eyewitnesses in Muzaffarabad, the Kashmiri capital, said mosque loudspeakers urged people to seek shelter as explosions tore through the night.

India defended the operation as a targeted strike against “terrorist infrastructure” allegedly tied to an April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists. New Delhi claimed no military installations were struck, insisting civilians were not the intended targets.

Pakistan, however, denounced the raids as a “blatant act of war” and vowed swift retaliation, rejecting India’s assertion that only militant sites were hit.

Cross-border shelling along the Line of Control continued into Wednesday morning, with both armies exchanging fire and additional civilian casualties reported on either side.

Pakistan’s military spokesperson stated that its air defenses shot down multiple Indian jets in response, though India has not confirmed these losses.

The escalation has raised fears of a wider conflict between two nuclear-armed neighbors. International actors, including the United States, China, and Russia, have urged restraint and dialogue to prevent further bloodshed.

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