EU Calls for Restraint Amid Kashmir Escalation

1:45 p.m. CET: The‍ European Union Commission ⁤has urged both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint‍ and take immediate steps to‍ de-escalate the situation in the Kashmir region.

A commission spokesman in Brussels emphasized the need for negotiations and ⁣a “mutually amicable, permanent, and peaceful⁤ solution.” EU foreign ministers are expected to discuss the conflict at their meeting in Warsaw.

Pakistan Announces Response to Indian Military Action

11:55 a.m. CET: Following a security cabinet session,Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced a response to what he termed an Indian attack on pakistani targets. According ⁣to a statement, Pakistan reserves the right to respond at a time and manner of its choosing.

“The Pakistani armed forces have been properly authorized to take appropriate measures,” the statement read.

India reportedly attacked targets within Pakistan and the Pakistan-administered portion of the Kashmir region. The Pakistani military claims the attacks resulted in 26 fatalities and 46 injuries. Prime Minister Sharif characterized the⁤ indian ⁤action as an act of war.

Overnight attacks Escalate India-Pakistan Conflict

10:30⁣ a.m.CET: Maulana Masoud Azhar, leader of the Islamist organization Jaish-e mohammed, released ⁤a statement regarding the Indian air raids. Azhar claimed that ten members of his family and four close friends were killed in the attacks. “This brutality has shot all the rules, now⁤ nobody should expect mercy,” the statement reportedly said.

9:10 ⁤a.m. CET: An Indian security official,‍ speaking to AFP news agency, reported that three fighter jets crashed within India’s borders. The cause of the crashes remains unkown, according to the official. Earlier, Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif told Bloomberg⁣ TV that five Indian fighter planes were shot down and⁢ several‍ Indian soldiers were captured.

Reuters news agency reports conflicting casualty figures ⁣from both sides. ⁣A Pakistani army spokesman stated that 26 people were killed in⁣ the Indian attacks, with 46 others injured. Indian sources told the agency that 10 people died in Pakistani attacks and another ⁤48 were wounded.

Mutual Accusations ⁤Fly as Conflict Intensifies

8:21 a.m.‍ CET: India has⁤ denied Pakistani accusations of⁢ targeting civilian areas. An Indian military spokesman, quoted by Reuters, asserted that terrorist camps within Pakistan were attacked and destroyed. The targets included recruitment centers, indoctrination facilities, training camps, arms depots, and shooting ⁢ranges, selected based on intelligence information.

The Pakistani military, in turn, claimed to have shot down ⁢five Indian⁤ aircraft that attacked Pakistan. The downed aircraft were identified as three French-made rafale fighters, one MIG 29, and one SU aircraft.

Pakistan Claims Downing of ⁤Indian Jets

7:42 a.m. CET: The Pakistani military asserted that its forces shot down ⁢five Indian fighter jets over India. As of this update,New Delhi has not issued an official response.

Casualties Reported Following Indian Attacks ⁤in Pakistan

7:25 a.m. CET: The Pakistani military revised the casualty⁤ figures, reporting 26 fatalities and 46 injuries resulting from overnight Indian attacks on targets within Pakistan.

6:36 a.m. CET: Initial reports from the pakistani military indicated that eight civilians were killed and 33 others were injured in the indian attacks. The Foreign Ministry stated that women and children were among the victims.Unconfirmed reports from intelligence sources mentioned a ⁢child killed in Bahawalpur, eastern Pakistan.

Pakistan has reportedly closed its airspace‍ for 48 hours, according ⁤to the Civil Aviation Authority, as reported by the German Press Agency. Flight operations at Islamabad and Lahore ⁣airports have been suspended until further notice.

U.S. President Donald Trump commented on the conflict, expressing⁢ hope for a swift resolution. “I just hope that it ends very quickly,” Trump said at a White‍ House event, noting the long history of conflict between India and Pakistan.

China Urges Restraint After‍ Indian Strikes

6:14 a.m. CET: China has called for⁤ restraint from both ⁣India and Pakistan. A Foreign Office spokesman in Beijing stated that China regrets the military campaign in India and is concerned about the developing‍ situation. China maintains⁤ close economic ties with Pakistan, despite tense relations with India due to border disputes in the Himalayas.

11:59 p.m. CET: The Pakistani army claimed to have shot down two Indian fighter jets. The military did not provide further details. India reportedly attacked targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.Unconfirmed reports from Pakistani intelligence ⁣sources indicated that a child was ⁣killed in Indian air strikes in Bahawalpur.

conflict Threatens Escalation

Initial Report: New Delhi/Islamabad – The conflict between India and Pakistan is escalating. The Indian army claims to have conducted nine attacks on targets within ‍Pakistan. The Pakistani military confirmed the attacks, including those around muzaffarabad, the capital ‍of Pakistan-administered‍ Kashmir, and ⁤the Punjab region bordering India.

India claims the targets were⁢ “terrorist infrastructure.” Tensions between the two nuclear powers have been high since a‍ terrorist attack in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir in April that killed 26 vacationers.

India claims to Target “Terrorist Infrastructure”

Loud explosions were reported near Muzaffarabad,⁣ according to Reuters, citing ⁢witnesses. Media reports indicate at least one child was killed in the attacks, though official confirmation is lacking.

The Indian goverment stated that the attacks deliberately avoided Pakistani military facilities and were “non-escalatory in nature.” Pakistani army spokesman Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry called the Indian attacks a “hideous provocation,” stating that Pakistan will “react ⁣at‍ a⁣ time and in a place of his choice.” India claims the Pakistani army fired artillery over⁢ the border in Kashmir.

The Indian Ministry of the Interior had previously commissioned “exercises for effective ⁣civil protection” for Wednesday, according to an Information Ministry spokesman, as reported ⁣by AFP. These exercises included developing “evacuation ⁣plans” and training ⁤civilians to “protect themselves in the event of an ⁤enemy attack.”

Long-Standing Dispute Over Kashmir Region

Since the attack near Pahalgam, both countries have taken punitive measures, including actions against citizens of the other side and reduced diplomatic relations. Experts are especially concerned about India’s potential ⁣suspension of the Indus ‍Waters Treaty,which regulates water usage ⁣of the Indus river and its tributaries. Pakistan has warned of counter-measures if the treaty is suspended.

The kashmir region in the Himalayas is divided between Pakistan and ⁢india, with both claiming the entire area. The conflict’s origins trace back to the colonial period. In 1947, the British granted ⁤independence to the Indian subcontinent and divided it, creating the predominantly Hindu India and the Muslim⁣ state of Pakistan. This division continues to fuel a bitter rivalry. Since their independence, the two nuclear powers have fought three wars, two of them over Kashmir.