India Launches Operation Sindoor, Hits 5 Terror Camps — Sharif Says ‘Will Hit Back’

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday condemned India’s missile strikes on terror targets in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Punjab province, describing them as an “act of war”. Sharif asserted that Pakistan has every right to give a “befitting reply” to India’s actions, which targeted five locations across Pakistan.

Sharif vowed that “the enemy will never be allowed to succeed in his nefarious objectives,” and expressed full solidarity with the Pakistani Armed Forces in the wake of the attack.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif further escalated the rhetoric, promising a “full force” response.
“We will pay off this debt in the manner such debt is paid,” Asif said in an interview with Geo News.
Adding that Pakistan’s response would be both kinetic and diplomatic. Asif also assured that Pakistan’s retaliation would not take long to unfold.

Army spokesman Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry confirmed that the Indian strikes targeted Kotli and Muzaffarabad in PoK, as well as Bahawalpur in Punjab province. He reported that three Pakistanis were killed and 12 others were injured in the missile strikes.

Chaudhry further clarified that five locations were hit in the Indian airstrikes, with specific targets in Kotli, Muzaffarabad, Bagh, Bahawalpur, and Muridke. He mentioned that India had launched airstrikes on the Subhanullah mosque in Bahawalpur’s Ahmed East area.

In response to the strikes, Chaudhry insisted, “This cowardly and shameful attack was carried out from within India's airspace. They were never allowed to intrude into the space of Pakistan.”
He emphasized that Pakistan would respond at a “time and place of its own choosing” and warned that the “heinous provocation” would not go unanswered.

Damage assessments are ongoing, and Pakistan has closed its airspace for 48 hours to all air traffic. Chaudhry stated that more information would be shared as it became available, and warned that India’s “temporary happiness” from the attack would eventually give way to “enduring grief”.

The missile strikes have further strained the already fragile ties between India and Pakistan, following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, which claimed the lives of 26 people, mostly tourists. In response to the attack, India has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, shut down the only operational land border crossing at Attari, and downgraded diplomatic ties with Pakistan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after the Pahalgam attack, granted the Indian armed forces “complete operational freedom” to determine the mode, timing, and targets of India’s response.

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