Rawalpindi (TDI): Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR), Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, confirmed on Wednesday that 26 civilians were martyred and 46 others injured in overnight Indian airstrikes targeting multiple civilian areas across Pakistan.
The military spokesperson stated during a media briefing that India launched 24 airstrikes across six different sites within Pakistani territory.
He said that 13 people were martyred in Bahawalpur’s Ahmedpur East area. The martyred included two 3-year-old girls, 7 women, and 4 men. Moreover, 37 civilians were wounded, including 9 women and 28 men.
In another attack on Bilal Mosque near Muzaffarabad, three individuals were martyred, while two children — a girl and a boy — were wounded, he said.
Another attack occurred in Kotli, where the Abbas Mosque was hit, leading to the martyrdom of two teenagers, an 18-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl. The attacks also injured a woman and her daughter.
He further said that no casualties were reported in Sialkot or Shakargarh, although a dispensary in Shakargarh sustained minor damage.
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The ISPR spokesperson said that firing by the Indian army along the Line of Control (LoC) martyred five civilians, including a 5-year-old child.
He added that India deliberately targeted mosques, terming it as a reflection of the extremist mindset of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindutva-driven government, which, he said, systematically oppresses minorities—especially Muslims.
He further stated that Pakistan military downed 5 Indian fighter aircrafts and one combat drone in retaliation to unprovoked attack and airspace violations.
The jets shot down included three Rafale planes, one MiG-29, one SU-series aircraft, and an Israeli-made Heron combat drone. The jets were downed in multiple locations, including Jammu, Akhnoor, Srinagar, Bhatinda, and Avantipur.
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“The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) engaged these planes when they launched attacks inside Pakistani territory,” DG ISPR said. “Their strikes were aimed at the territorial integrity of Pakistan and put civilian lives in danger,” he added.
He further said that while Pakistan’s military could strike more than 10 Indian aircrafts, it preferred to exercise restraint.
He said that armed forces retaliated to Indian aggression in a “measured and defensive” way, emphasizing that the response was carried out in self-defense and without violating Indian airspace.
