ISLAMABAD – A red alert has been sounded across Pakistan, with government hospitals across the country ready for any emergency; airspace for all domestic and international flights closed for at least 24 to 36 hours; all educational institutions in capital Islamabad and the Punjab province closed; and, all forces have been put on standby following Indian airstrikes in different parts of the country early on Wednesday.
Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that at least 26 people have been killed and 46 others injured in the airstrikes that New Delhi said targeted terror camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Punjab province.
The Indian strikes and Islamabad’s retaliation have jolted locals who fear that it could potentially lead to a full-scale war between the two countries.
India targeted six different locations inside Pakistan, including Masjid SubhanAllah – the alleged hideout of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar in Ahmedpur Sharqia area of Bahawalpur city in South Punjab province.
Multiple strikes were also conducted in other areas, including Muridke, the alleged hideout and headquarters of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jamaat ud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, besides other locations in Muzaffarabad, Kotli and Bagh cities.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is set to address the nation soon, called an emergency National Security Committee (NSC) meeting at the Prime Minister’s House to discuss the current security situation and the future course of action against India.
The crucial meeting will formulate policy and also contemplate the interventions by global powers, including the United States, which has called on both sides to show restraint and de-escalate the fast-aggravating tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. – IANS
