Pakistan’s military on Wednesday accused India of launching deadly air and missile strikes across multiple locations, killing at least 26 civilians and injuring 46 others, as tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours soar.

Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, spokesperson for Pakistan’s military, said Indian forces carried out overnight strikes targeting civilian areas in Punjab province and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, including Kotli, Muzaffarabad, and Bahawalpur.

"India has repeated its cowardly history by attacking under the cover of darkness," Chaudhry told reporters in Islamabad. “These were deliberate strikes on civilian targets, including mosques, which resulted in the deaths of women and children.”

He confirmed that 13 people, including two young girls, were killed when a mosque in Ahmedpur East was hit, while three others died in a separate mosque attack in Muridke. 

Civilian casualties were also reported in Kotli and Muzaffarabad, where a power station was damaged.

Pakistan claims its forces responded by shooting down five Indian fighter jets and a drone, identifying the aircraft as Rafale, MiG-29, and SU-series models. No independent verification of these claims was immediately available.

India has not commented in detail but earlier said its strikes targeted “terrorist infrastructure” and denied causing civilian casualties.

In a separate statement, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry condemned the Indian action as “an unprovoked act of war,” accusing New Delhi of violating international law and the UN Charter.

“The attack has endangered regional peace and civilian air traffic,” the ministry said, warning that Pakistan reserves the right to respond “at a time and place of its choosing.”

The escalation follows an April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed at least 26 tourists. India has blamed Pakistan-based groups, a claim Islamabad rejects.

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