Pakistan says India fired missiles at 3 air bases. Pakistani retaliation underway

Pakistani constabulary officers region vehicles and radical from the main introduction of Nur Khan airbase pursuing an Indian rocket onslaught successful Rawalpindi, Pakistan, connected Saturday. Anjum Naveed/AP hide caption

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Anjum Naveed/AP

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan said India fired missiles astatine 3 aerial bases wrong the state Saturday but astir of the missiles were intercepted and that retaliatory strikes connected India were underway. It's the latest escalation successful a struggle triggered by a massacre past period that India blames connected Pakistan.

The Pakistani subject said it utilized medium-range Fateh missiles to people an Indian rocket retention installation and airbases successful Pathankot and Udhampur. There was nary mode to independently verify each the actions attributed to Pakistan oregon India.

Army spokesman, Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif, said Pakistan's aerial unit assets were harmless pursuing the Indian strikes, adding that immoderate of the Indian missiles besides deed India's eastbound Punjab.

"This is simply a provocation of the highest order," Sharif said. There was nary contiguous remark from India.

State-run Pakistan Television reported that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has convened a gathering of the National Command Authority, the assemblage liable for overseeing the country's rocket programme and different strategical assets.

Tensions betwixt the nuclear-armed rivals person soared since an onslaught astatine a fashionable tourer tract successful India-controlled Kashmir near 26 civilians dead, mostly Hindu Indian tourists, connected April 22. New Delhi has blamed Pakistan for backing the assault, an accusation Islamabad rejects.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir connected Friday.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Rubio continued to impulse some parties to "find ways to deescalate and offered U.S. assistance successful starting constructive talks" successful bid to debar aboriginal conflicts.

The telephone for calm came up of Saturday's Indian rocket strikes, which targeted Nur Khan aerial basal successful the garrison metropolis of Rawalpindi, adjacent the superior Islamabad, Murid aerial basal successful Chakwal metropolis and Rafiqui aerial basal successful the Jhang territory of eastbound Punjab province, according to Pakistan's subject spokesman.

There was nary media entree to the aerial basal successful Rawalpindi, a densely populated city, and nary contiguous reports of residents proceeding oregon seeing the onslaught oregon its aftermath.

Following the announcement of Pakistani retaliation, residents successful Indian-controlled Kashmir said they heard large explosions astatine aggregate places successful the region, including the 2 large cities of Srinagar and Jammu, and the garrison municipality of Udhampur.

"Explosions that we are proceeding contiguous are antithetic from the ones we heard the past 2 nights during drone attacks," said Shesh Paul Vaid, the region's erstwhile apical constabulary authoritative and Jammu resident. "It looks similar a warfare here."

Vaid said explosions were heard from areas with subject bases, adding it appeared that service sites were being targeted.

Srinagar appeared calm aboriginal Saturday but immoderate residents successful neighborhoods adjacent to the city's airport, which is besides an aerial base, said they were rattled by the explosions and booming dependable of combatant jets.

"I was already awake but the explosions jolted my kids retired of their sleep. They started crying," said Srinagar nonmigratory Mohammed Yasin, adding helium heard astatine slightest 2 explosions.

Praveen Donthi, a elder expert with the International Crisis Group for India, said the 2 countries were astatine warfare adjacent if they had not yet labelled it arsenic one.

"It's go a remorseless contention for subject one-upmanship with nary evident strategical extremity goals from either side," said Donthi. "With expanding civilian casualties connected some sides, uncovering an exit oregon off-ramp is going to beryllium challenging."

India's service said it destroyed aggregate equipped Pakistani drones that were spotted flying implicit a subject cantonment successful bluish Punjab state's Amritsar metropolis aboriginal Saturday.

"Pakistan's blatant effort to interruption India's sovereignty and endanger civilians is unacceptable." the connection said.

In Pakistan, the civilian aviation authorization unopen the country's airports for each formation operations and radical successful large cities were seen chanting slogans supporting the equipped forces.

"Thank God we person yet responded to Indian aggression," said Muhammad Ashraf, who had headed retired for meal successful the eastbound metropolis of Lahore.

The Indian service said precocious Friday that drones were sighted successful 26 locations crossed galore areas successful Indian states bordering Pakistan and Indian-controlled Kashmir, including Srinagar. It said the drones were tracked and engaged.

"The concern is nether adjacent and changeless watch, and punctual enactment is being taken wherever necessary," the connection added.

India and Pakistan person traded strikes and dense cross-border occurrence for days, resulting successful civilian casualties connected some sides.

The Group of Seven nations, oregon G7, urged "maximum restraint" from India and Pakistan. It warned Friday that further subject escalation posed a superior menace to determination stability.