Pak PM Sharif terms Indian missile strikes on terror targets as 'act of war', vows to respond
Islamabad (PTI): Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif early Wednesday termed the Indian missile strikes on terror targets in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Punjab province as an "act of war" and said his country has every right to give a "befitting reply."
In retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack, Indian armed forces carried out missile strikes early Wednesday, hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed, the Indian Army said.
Pakistan Army spokesman Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said at least eight people were killed and 35 others injured in Indian missile attacks on cities in Punjab and PoK, Geo News reported.
Army spokesman Chaudhry, in an earlier morning press conference statement, said that a total of 24 impacts have been reported by India, with different weapons, in six localities.
“In these six localities, eight Pakistanis have been killed, 35 have been injured and two are missing,” he said.
He said that in Bahwalpur’s area of Ahmedpur East, Subhan mosque was targeted. “Here, there were four strikes and five Pakistanis were killed, including a three-year-old girl. Thirty-one civilians have been injured, including 25 men and six women,” he said.
He said the mosque was destroyed, while four quarters in which people were living were also destroyed.
He said that in Muzaffarabad, the Bilal mosque was targeted.
“There were seven impacts, in which one girl was injured and a mosque was destroyed,” he said. While in Kotli, Abbat mosque was targeted.
“There were five impacts and two people died, including a 16-year-old girl and an 18-year-old boy. A woman and her daughter are both injured,” he said.
He also said, "In Muridke, Umalkura mosque was targeted and there were four strikes. One man has been killed, while another is injured. Two people are missing,” he said.
The spokesman said a mosque has been destroyed and potters have sustained economic damages.
“In Sialkot district, in the village of Kotki Lohara, there were two strikes,” he added.
"One missile misfired, while one fell in an open field. There was no damage.”
“Near Shakargarh, there were two strikes with no damage. There was minor damage to a dispensary,” he said.
Prime Minister Sharif said that India carried out attacks at five places in Pakistan. "Pakistan has every right to give a befitting reply to this act of war imposed by India, and a strong response is indeed being given,” Sharif said in a statement.
Sharif said his armed forces “know very well how to deal with the enemy".
"We will never let the enemy succeed in its nefarious objectives,” he added.
The Prime Minister has summoned a meeting of the National Security Council at 10 am.
Pakistan has closed its airspace for all air traffic for 48 hours.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar termed the Indian strikes as a "flagrant violation" of Pakistan’s sovereignty, the UN Charter & international law.
"It has jeopardised regional peace,” he said in a statement on X.
In a statement, the Foreign Office termed the strikes by the "Indian Air Force, while remaining within Indian airspace," as an "unprovoked and blatant act of war".
“We will respond with full force. We will pay off this debt in the manner such debt is paid,” Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told Geo News.
He said Pakistan's response would be both kinetic and diplomatic, and it would not take long to retaliate to the Indian attack.
"All places are open for the international media to verify if they targeted terrorists’ camps or civilians,” he said.
Officials said that the Indian strikes targeted five places in Kotli, Muzaffarabad, and Bagh in PoK and in the Bahawalpur and Muridke areas of Punjab.
India launched air strikes on the Subhanullah mosque in Bahwalpur's Ahmed East area, Kotli and Muzaffarabad at three places from the air, the army spokesman told ARY News channel.
"All of our air force jets are airborne. This cowardly and shameful attack was carried out from within India's airspace. They were never allowed to come and intrude into the space of Pakistan,” he said.
“Let me say it unequivocally: Pakistan will respond to this at a time and place of its own choosing. This heinous provocation will not go unanswered,” he added.
This "temporary happiness" that India has achieved with this attack will be replaced with enduring grief, he said.
Ties between India and Pakistan plummeted following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 that killed 26 people, mostly tourists.
India announced a raft of punitive measures against Pakistan, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, shutting down of the only operational land border crossing at Attari and downgrading of diplomatic ties following the terror attack.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had told the top defence brass that the armed forces have “complete operational freedom” to decide on the mode, targets and timing of India’s response to the attack.
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Andhra to be developed as knowledge, creator economy hub: CM Naidu
New Delhi/Amaravati (PTI): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said the state is taking steps to transform itself into a knowledge and creator economy hub with a strong focus on artificial intelligence and quantum technology.
He noted that Andhra Pradesh has abundant tech-driven youth and the government is formulating plans to train them in futuristic technologies with support from global technology firms.
"Our goal is to transform Andhra Pradesh into a knowledge hub by focusing on AI, quantum computing, data centres, drone cities and space cities. The youth will remain our biggest asset over the next 25 years, and we seek global partnerships to scale up the creator economy," said Naidu during his interactions at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi.
Naidu, who participated in the summit in the national capital, also held meetings with several global technology leaders and industrialists to explore collaborations in artificial intelligence, clean energy and innovation ecosystems.
He met Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, Autodesk AI Head Mike Haley, Aramco India Director Abdul Rehman AiThukair, LEGO Education Vice President Tom Hall, Aadhaar Founder and CTO Srikanth Nadhamuni, Khosla Ventures Managing Partner Vinod Khosla and others at the AP Pavilion.
The chief minister also held discussions with Saudi Aramco representatives on clean energy projects, including solar initiatives, and invited the company to expand operations in Andhra Pradesh, stating that the state is highly suitable for green energy production.
He sought support from NVIDIA Vice President Callista Redmond for establishing AI Living Labs and proposed partnerships through the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub to promote youth innovation, including collaborations with IIT Tirupati and Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Tirupati under the Andhra Pradesh Future Innovation and Research for Science and Technology (AP FIRST) initiative.
Naidu urged Autodesk leadership to support the development of Global Capability Centres in design engineering and requested the establishment of an Innovation Academy in Amaravati aligned with quantum technology, besides proposing AI and robotics learning labs in partnership with LEGO Education.
He also discussed AI-driven smart governance solutions with Quantela Inc Chairman Sridhar Gadhi, while World Bank Group Digital AI Regional Director Mahesh Uttamchandani met Naidu on the sidelines of the summit.
Following the meetings, Naidu visited various exhibition stalls at the summit, including those of NVIDIA, Tata, Intel and Microsoft, and reviewed AI applications across agriculture, healthcare and industry.
