Taking a major action against terrorism, India carried out an air strike on 9 terrorist bases at 1.30 am on Tuesday night. India's mighty forces destroyed 4 more terrorist bases of Pakistan
Authorities in Indian-administered Kashmir have ordered the evacuation of citizens from areas they deemed dangerous, as the conflict between New Delhi and Islamabad escalates.
The Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, has directed districts to move villagers from “vulnerable areas to safer locations.
Accommodation, food and medicines will be provided for evacuated citizens, the Lieutenant Governor’s office said on X.
The orders come hours after India launched a series of strikes on what it called “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, pushing the rival neighbors to the brink of full-scale war.
Modi right-hand man “proud of our armed forces”
A key ally of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he is “proud of our armed forces” following the country’s strikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
“#OperationSindoor is Bharat’s response to the brutal killing of our innocent brothers in Pahalgam,” Home Minister Amit Shah wrote on X, using the Hindi name for India. Shah has been beside Modi’s side for decades and is often referred to as the second most powerful person in India.
Wednesday’s strikes come more than two weeks after militants killed 26 civilians in Indian-controlled Kashmir. New Delhi pinned the massacre on Pakistan, though Islamabad denied involvement.
China expresses regret over India’s military strikes, calling for calm and restraint
China has expressed regret over India’s military action against Pakistan and said it’s concerned about the current developments.
“India and Pakistan are neighbors that cannot be moved, and both are also China’s neighbors,” a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry said.
As the conflict between Pakistan and India escalates, China has found itself in a diplomatic tight spot.
For weeks, Beijing has been closely watching the tit-for-tat responses between its longtime “ironclad friend,” Islamabad, and New Delhi, a regional rival with which it has a long-running border dispute.
The flare-up comes as China has been trying to improve relations with India as part of a broader diplomatic push to shore up ties with neighbors and trade partners alike to counter pressure from the Trump administration.
Pakistan, meanwhile, is one of China’s closest partners and a key supporter of its Belt and Road Initiative. China is Pakistan’s main arms supplier, with Chinese arms making up 81 per cent of Pakistan’s weapons imports in the past five years, according to data from Swedish think tank the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
On April 27 in a phone call with his counterpart, China’s foreign minister Wang Yi expressed support for Pakistan and said China is closely following developments between the countries.
“As Pakistan’s ironclad friend and all-weather strategic cooperative partner, China fully understands Pakistan’s legitimate security concerns and supports Pakistan in safeguarding its sovereignty and security interests,” Wang said.
In pictures: Scenes from Kashmir and Pakistan
India launched military strikes on targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, targeting what it called “terrorist infrastructure” on Wednesday. The attack comes more than two weeks after militants massacred tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, which New Delhi blamed on its neighbor — and Islamabad denied.
Pakistan said eight people were killed by India’s attack in what the country’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described as “an act of war.” Pakistan also said it shot down five Indian Air Force jets and a drone.
Pictures of downed aircraft show part from French manufacturer
Pictures taken of parts of an aircraft that crashed in Indian-administered Kashmir show the label of a French manufacturer.
The label shows an aircraft part from French filtration company Le Bozec et Gautier. Le Bozec is a French-based subsidiary of Minnesota’s Donaldson Company.
A press release from Donaldson in 2005, when it acquired Le Bozec, says the French company “designs, manufactures and sells filtration equipment for the management of air, fuel, hydraulic fluid and air pressure on aircraft and helicopters.”
Pakistan claims to have shot down three of India’s top-of-the-line French-made Rafale fighter jets, but experts said it was not possible to say whether the part came from that aircraft, nor Pakistan’s claims of shooting down the aircraft.
Peter Layton, a senior fellow at Griffith Asia Institute and former Australian air force officer, said the part looked like it could be from a fuel tank, possibly an external drop tank.
The Pakistan Air force also has French-made Mirage III and V jets, Layton added.
This post has been updated with additional information.
Residents of Indian-administered Kashmir “tense and anxious” after night of shelling
Residents of Indian-administered Kashmir woke to the sounds of explosions and shelling after India launched cross-border strikes against its neighbor, with some hiding in fear and others cheering the strikes as long-overdue revenge.
“We have been tense and anxious and glued to the television channels,” a 30-year-old civilian who lives near the city of Kupwara told CNN. “This is the first time I’ve heard shelling this intense over my village.”
“I woke up around 2:30 a.m. and heard sounds of explosions and firing across the border. This went on until 5:30 a.m.,” said the resident, who requested not to be named.
India’s strikes – on what it called “terrorist infrastructure” – come more than two weeks after militants killed 26 civilians in Indian-controlled Kashmir. New Delhi pinned the massacre on Pakistan, though Islamabad denied those claims.
Pakistan said it shot down five Indian Air Force jets in response. India has not confirmed the fighter jet losses and CNN is unable to verify the claim.
“We spent a sleepless night because of the heavy shelling,” said one resident living in the village of Uroosa, close to the Line of Control that divides Indian- and Pakistani-controlled parts of Kashmir.
“There were cries of children, women and it was a desperate situation,” said the resident, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
A 21-year-old student living in the village of Uroosa told CNN that “shelling was happening all night. Everyone is scared, there is damage in the area too. People are scared and are planning to leave.”
“We are fifteen members in the family holed up in two rooms,” the student said. “We are sitting in the back rooms of the home so we can escape shelling.”
Elsewhere in India-administered Kashmir, residents cheered news of India’s attack, according to video footage by ANI.
“This is a very good move and we were waiting for India to give a befitting reply to Pakistan and India has given a commendable reply to them and we are happy that this happened,” Rishi, a resident of Poonch, told ANI.
Another resident told the outlet that “there was much anger among the people” following last month’s massacre. “Hence, this was indeed needed.”