Pakistan launches retaliatory strikes on India

Pakistan launches retaliatory strikes on India

Pakistan Civil Aviation said it is closing its airspace from 03:15am local time (22:15 GMT) on Saturday until 12 noon (07:00 GMT) following the latest attacks.

Explosions and air raid sirens have been heard across Indian-administered Kashmir and India’s Punjab state as the Indian military said drones were sighted in 26 locations and are being “tracked and engaged”.

Three people were reported injured in a drone strike on the Indian city of Ferozepur in Punjab state.

Approximately 50 people have been reported killed so far – 33 of them in Pakistan – since India launched missiles on Wednesday that it said targeted “terrorist camps” in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

A recap of recent developments

As tensions soar between India and Pakistan, misinformation and unconfirmed rumours of attacks are rife on both sides of the Radcliffe Line.

Here’s what you need to know:

Pakistan’s military media wing said Indian fighter jets fired air-to-surface missiles at three of its airbases, but added that “all assets” are safe.
    
In light of the attacks, Pakistan’s Civil Aviation agency has closed its airspace for more than eight hours, with it slated to reopen at 12pm (07:00 GMT) local time on Saturday.
    
The Reuters news agency, citing witnesses, has reported that four blasts have been heard in Amritsar, a city in the northwestern Indian state of Punjab near the Pakistan border.
    
Multiple blasts have also been heard in Jammu city in Indian-administered Kashmir for a second day, and projectiles have been seen in the night sky after a blackout.
    
Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has slammed Pakistan’s “farcical” response after it again denied launching attacks across the border and claimed India fired ballistic missiles that fell on its own territory.

Pakistan launches strikes against India: State media

Citing security sources, Pakistan’s state-run news outlet PTV News has reported that Pakistan has “launched a counter-offensive against Indian aggression”, without providing more details.

More on the reported Indian missile attacks on Pakistani airbases

Pakistani army spokesman Ahmad Sharif said in a televised address that all Pakistani air force assets were safe after he claimed India launched missile attacks on three airbases.

He said that India targeted the Nur Khan airbase in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, Murid airbase in Chakwal city and Rafiqui airbase in the Jhang district in the eastern Punjab province.

Sharif said some of the missiles fired by India also went into Afghanistan, but did not yet provide evidence, which he claimed Pakistan possessed.

He blamed the “blatant acts of aggression” on the “paranoia within the Indian mindset”.

Pakistan responds to Indian attacks, launches Operation ‘Bunyan Marsoos’

Abid Hussain, Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan

The military’s media wing – Inter-Services Public Relations – has announced that Pakistan has officially launched its retaliatory strikes against “Indian aggression”, codenamed Operation Bunyan Marsoos.

Military sources have claimed that Pakistan has targeted airbase in Indian city of Udhampur and an air field in Pathankot, both of which were “destroyed”.

Security sources further claimed that a Brahmos missile’s storage site in Beas, in India’s Punjab province, was also hit.

New Delhi airport says ‘changing airspace conditions’ could impact operation

Earlier, we reported about Pakistan’s decision to close the country’s airspace due to the current tensions with India.

Meanwhile, in India, the operator of New Delhi airport said “changing airspace conditions and increased security measures” could affect some flights and length of security checks.

The advisory asked passengers to arrive early and cooperate with airline and security staff at the airport.

What does Pakistan military’s Operation Bunyan Marsoos mean?

Abid Hussain, Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan

The operation launched by Pakistan against India is part of a verse from Islam’s holy book, the Quran, which reads: Truly Allah loves those who fight in His Cause in battle array, as if they were a solid cemented structure.

Bunyan Marsoos is an Arabic phrase which directly translates into “a structure made of lead”.

In Quranic context, the phrase is used to describe the unity and strength of followers of Islam who are fighting for the cause of Allah.

Indian army postpones press conference due to attacks: Report

We have been reporting on “Bunyan Marsoos”, a military operation launched by Pakistan’s armed forces over the past hour targeting military sites in India and Indian-administered Kashmir.

Pakistani news outlet Samaa TV, citing security sources, now reports that the Indian Army has postponed a planned news conference due to the strikes. The same outlet reports that Pakistan has fired at least three “Fatah 2” missiles at Indian targets.

These claims could not be independently verified by Al Jazeera.