Here is everything we know about India’s strikes on Pakistan amid heightened global tensions.
India launched a series of strikes on Pakistan and the Pakistan-administered areas of Kashmir, two weeks after a militant attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir.
The April 22 attack left 25 Indians and one Nepali national dead, and India said their strikes on Pakistan are a “commitment” to holding those responsible for the attack “accountable”.
Pakistan has denied any involvement in the April 22 attack and said India’s strikes are “unprovoked”.
The country’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said India’s “heinous act of aggression will not go unpunished”.
A military spokesperson for Pakistan says that India’s strikes have killed 26 people and left 46 injured.
India says at least 10 civilians have been killed by Pakistani shelling on the de facto border.
Where did India target?
Delhi confirmed that they targeted nine different locations across Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir that they dubbed “terrorist infrastructure”.
They emphasised that their “actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature”, and they did not hit any Pakistani military facilities.
Pakistan said Bahawalpur in the province of Punjab was targeted, as well as Muzaffarabad and Kotli which are in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said India’s claims of “targeting terrorist camps” was false, as the strikes hit areas with civilians.
Why did India launch the attack?
India’s strikes come two weeks after a militant attack in a resort near Pahalgam that left 26 people dead.
Survivors of the April 22 attack said militants were singling out Hindu men.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that those who planned and carried out the attack “will be punished beyond their imagination” and that they will hunt the suspects “till the ends of the Earth”.
It is still unclear who carried out the attack, and India is yet to name a group who it believes to be responsible.
However, Indian police claim that two Pakistani nationals were among the attackers, and India have accused Pakistan of supporting militants.
Pakistan denies India’s claims, and says it had nothing to do with the April 22 attack.
How have Pakistan responded to India’s strikes?
Pakistan has vowed to retaliate against the attacks, citing Article 51 of the UN Charter and its right to self-defence.
They warned that they have the right to respond “at a time, place and manner of its choosing”.
Pakistan’s armed forces say they are “fully authorised” to carry out “corresponding actions”.
The country also said in a statement that they have shot down five Indian fighter jets and drones. India has not responded to these claims.
Why is Kashmir a place of tension between India and Pakistan?
Kashmir is claimed in full by both India and Pakistan, but has been ruled in part by each since the partition of India in 1947 following independence from Britain.
Wars have been fought over Kashmir, but in recent years the region has been plagued by attacks by militants.
Indian-administered Kashmir has seen a rise in insurgency against Indian rule, with militants targeting both civilians and security forces.
In 2019, India revoked Article 370, which gave Kashmir semi-autonomous status, and this was met with a wave of protests.
However, this marks the first major attack on civilians in the region since then, per BBC.