India launched missile strikes on multiple sites across Pakistan-administered territory early Wednesday, killing at least eight people — including a child — and injuring dozens, according to Pakistani officials. The strikes come amid soaring tensions following last month's deadly attack on tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir, which New Delhi blames on Pakistan-based militants. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attacks as "cowardly" and vowed retaliation. "Pakistan has every right to give a robust response to this act of war imposed by India, and a strong response is indeed being given," he said in a televised address. The Indian Defense Ministry said its strikes targeted nine locations "where terrorist attacks against India have been planned," and emphasized that the action was "focused, measured and non-escalatory." It also claimed no Pakistani military facilities were targeted and that India "demonstrated considerable restraint." Pakistan's military spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif said the strikes hit six different sites, including areas in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and Punjab province. One missile struck a mosque in Bahawalpur, killing a child and injuring two others. Other targets included areas near Muridke and Kotli. State-run Pakistan Television reported that the country's air force shot down two Indian jets in response, though no further details were provided. In Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, residents described scenes of chaos as explosions rocked the city and authorities cut electricity, plunging neighborhoods into darkness. Hospitals in the region were placed on emergency footing. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry warned that the strikes endangered civilian lives and commercial air traffic, and accused India of recklessly escalating tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. "This reckless escalation has brought the two nuclear-armed states closer to a major conflict," it said. In response, Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif convened a meeting of the National Security Committee to assess the situation. The United Nations expressed deep concern, with spokesperson Stephane Dujarric saying Secretary-General António Guterres was "very concerned" and urged both countries to exercise maximum restraint. "The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan," the statement read. This marks the most serious cross-border escalation since the February 2019 Pulwama-Balakot incident, and raises fears of a wider conflict between the two longtime rivals. — Agencies
