The incident was confirmed on Wednesday by Pakistan's Minister of Defense in a televised address.
Earlier that day, India's Ministry of Defence stated it had carried out strikes on targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, claiming the action was in retaliation for a terror attack on April 22 in the Pahalgam area of Indian-administered Kashmir that left over 20 civilians dead.
In response, Pakistan strongly condemned the Indian strikes, calling them an unprovoked act of war and a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty.
Pakistani Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said in a statement that the Indian Air Force had violated Pakistan's airspace using standoff weapons to target civilian areas.
The strikes reportedly hit Bahawalpur and Sheikhupura districts in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province, as well as Muzaffarabad, Bagh, and Kotli districts in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations, the media wing of the Pakistani army, said that at least 26 people were killed and 46 others injured after India carried out strikes on six civilian settlements in Pakistan.
In a statement issued Tuesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on both nations to exercise maximum restraint, warning: 'The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan.'
He had earlier described the situation as the most dangerous in years between the two South Asian nuclear powers, urging both governments to resolve their differences diplomatically.
'A military solution is no solution,' he emphasized, offering his good offices to help ease tensions.
The Secretary-General also condemned the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, calling it 'unacceptable' and urging that those responsible be brought to justice through 'credible and lawful means.'
Théophile Niyitegeka
