Pakistan said on Thursday it had shot down drones from India 25 times in its airspace, while India said it attempted to strike military targets with drones and missiles as battles spread between nuclear-weapon neighbors spread.
Pakistan military spokesman Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said Pakistan has hit India-made drones in multiple locations, including two largest cities in Karachi and Lahore.
In addition, Chaudry said four army members were injured when a drone hit a military target near Lahore and another was shot down by Rawalpindi, a heavily reinforced headquarters of the Pakistan Army.
“Indian drones continue to be sent into Pakistani airspace… [India] He said.
Dozens of people died after India opened fire on Pakistan and fired in Kashmir earlier on Wednesday, saying it was targeted at militant camps, not civilians. Pakistan vows to retaliate as families flee and fear of wider conflict.
The Indian Ministry of Defense said Pakistan attempted to conduct many military targets in northern and western India on Wednesday night and early Thursday and was “neutralized” by the Indian air defense system.
In response, Indian forces targeted air defense radars and systems at many locations in Pakistan on Thursday, saying in a statement that “India responded at the same intensity as Pakistan”.
The latest exchange comes after India said it cracked down on “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan in the early hours of Wednesday, 26 of whom, mainly Hindu tourists, were killed two weeks after accusing the country of alleged involvement in the Indian-controlled Kashmir attack.
Since gaining independence from the colonies in 1947, relations between India and Pakistan have been full of tension, and these countries have fought three wars, two of which competed in Kashmir and countless clashes have occurred.
Both obtained nuclear weapons in the 1990s.
Dozens of people died this week
Pakistan said at least 31 civilians were killed, and about 50 injured in cross-border shelling at the Kashmir border during a strike on Wednesday, followed by 16 of them, including five children and 59 injured, India said.
In the Kashmir Valley, the cable car in Gurmag is a major tourist destination due to its proximity to the Pakistani border. The hotel manager there, who did not want to be named, said police had ordered the hotel to be vacated on Wednesday night.
Local media reported that some cities in Punjab in India have borders with Pakistan, and people retaliated against the Indian strike, which is a common panic with Pakistan.
Pakistan's Aviation Authority “temporarily suspended” flight operations at airports in Lahore, Karachi and northeastern city Sialkot until noon. It gives no reason to pause.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said New Delhi does not intend to escalate the situation.
“But if there is a military attack on us, there is no doubt that it will get a very, very firm response,” he said at the meeting of the Joint Indian-Iran Committee.
The United Nations, as well as many countries including China, Russia and the United States, have urged both countries to restrict movement.
