The dead also included a child who was killed when the missile hit a mosque in Bahawalpur. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called the attack “an act of war” in his statement. He said, “Pakistan has every right to respond forcefully to this act of war imposed by India and a forceful response is being given”. The prime minister’s message further added, “The Pakistani nation and Pakistan armed forces know very well how to deal with the enemy. We will never let the enemy succeed in its nefarious objectives”. Pakistan claims that its forces shot down five Indian airforce jets overnight. It has not been confirmed by India. 

This act has further aggravated the situation as the tensions between the neighbors are already high, both of which are nuclear-powered. This is not the first act of violence. In April, gunmen killed 26 civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir, and India accuses Pakistan to be responsible for this carnage. Since then, there have been nightly gunfire exchanges over the Line of Control . India has defended military attacks, though. The Indian army says, “Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and methodology of execution”. This refers to the alleged terror hub attacks Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. 

United Nations also expressed concerns. According to its spokesperson, “The secretary-general is very concerned about the Indian military operations across the Line of Control and international border”. The UN called both the nations to avoid military escalation and said, “The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan”.

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