PM Shehbaz vows ‘befitting response’ to India after missile strikes on Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan had every right to give a “befitting response” to India after it conducted missile strikes against Pakistan.

At least 26 Pakistani civilians were martyred and 46 sustained injuries after Indian forces fired missiles at six different locations during the night between May 6 and 7.

“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 a high morale and spirits.

“Our nation and armed forces are undeterred to deal with the enemy,” he said.
PM Sharif said, “Pakistan will not allow its enemy to succeed in its nefarious objectives.”

According to security sources, India aircraft from their airspace hit the areas in Kotli, Muzaffarabad, Bagh, Ahmad Pur Sharqia and Muridke.

Addressing a press conference, the DG ISPR said Indian troops also launched cowardly attacks across the Line of Control (LoC), deliberately targeting civilian populations and places of worships.

The DG ISPR confirmed that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) shot down five Indian fighter jets and one drone in response to the attempted airstrike. The downed aircraft included three Rafale jets, a MiG-29, a Su-30, and an Israeli-made Heron drone.

Providing updates on the situation, he confirmed that Indian strikes on six different locations have so far claimed 26 innocent lives and left 46 others injured.

In a tragic incident, 13 people including two young girls were martyred when a mosque in Ahmedpur East was deliberately targeted. Similarly, in Muridke, another mosque was attacked, leading to the martyrdom of 3 individuals and injury to one, the DG ISPR stated.

In Muzaffarabad, 3 civilians were martyred, while a girl and a boy sustained injuries. In Kotli, a 16-year-old girl and an 18-year-old boy lost their lives after Mosque Abbas was targeted. A mother and child were also injured in the same attack.