India fires missiles into Pakistan killing eight in what Islamabad calls 'act of war'

India launched missiles into areas controlled by Pakistan on Wednesday morning, resulting in the deaths of at least eight people, including a child, an action that the leader of Pakistan has described as an act of war.

India claims it has struck areas used by militants linked to the recent tourist massacre in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir.

As per an announcement made by the Indian army, shells fired from Pakistan led to the death of a minimum of three civilians in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

Relations have soured significantly between the nuclear-capable neighbouring countries following last week’s attack in Pahalgam, killing 26 people, which India attributes to support from Pakistan.

Islamabad has rejected these allegations. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the air strikes that took place on Wednesday, denouncing them as cowardly attacks by a deceitful enemy, and stated that his country will react appropriately.

"Pakistan has all the justification to deliver a firm reaction to this act of aggression initiated by India, and such a decisive response is certainly underway," Sharif stated.

Sharif has requested an urgent meeting of the National Security Committee set for Wednesday morning to address the attacks and devise a Pakistani reaction.

Stephane Dujarric, the United Nations spokesperson, said in a statement late Tuesday that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was “very concerned about the Indian military operations across the Line of Control and international border” and called for maximum military restraint from both countries.

“The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan,” the statement read.

Missiles hit six locations in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir and eastern Punjab province, resulting in at least eight deaths and over 36 injuries, as reported by Pakistan’s army spokesman.

A missile hit a mosque in Bahawalpur, Punjab, resulting in the death of a child upon impact. Additional missiles were directed at regions close to Muridke in Punjab and Kotli in Pakistani-administered Kashmir.

Officials in Pakistan-administered Kashmir have announced a state of emergency in the hospitals of the region.

Classes in schools across Kashmir and Punjab were also cancelled in the wake of the attack. Seminaries in Kashmir were closed earlier in preparation for a potential assault by India.

The Indian Defence Ministry stated that at least nine sites were identified as places where plans for alleged terrorist attacks against India were supposedly orchestrated.

Our actions have been deliberate, controlled, and not designed to escalate tensions. We confirm that no Pakistani military installations were targeted," the statement read, further noting that "India has shown significant restraint both in choosing objectives and executing their approach.

The army said the operation was named “Sindoor,” a Hindi word for the bright red vermillion powder worn by married Hindu women on their forehead and hair, in a reference to the women who saw their husbands killed in front of them.

Pakistan retaliates

The Indian Army stated that three civilians were killed because of unrestricted attacks from Pakistani troops, encompassing both gunshots and artillery fire along the Line of Control—the de facto boundary dividing the contested area of Kashmir—and also at their mutual frontier.

The army stated that they were implementing measures in a proportional way. After India’s military operations, an aircraft reportedly crashed into a school building on the periphery of the main city in Indian-controlled Kashmir, according to local law enforcement and community members.

Pakistan Television, operated by the state, cited high-ranking security officials as reporting that the country’s air force had shot down five Indian aircraft in retaliation. However, additional information was not provided.

India has not yet responded to Pakistan's claim. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad stated that Indian troops were responsible for starting the assaults from inside what they consider their airspace.