A 7-year-old boy, Irtiza Abbas Turi, the son of Pakistan Army Lieutenant Colonel Zaheer Abbas Turi, was among the civilians martyred in the recent Indian airstrikes that hit several areas in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Punjab.
In a press briefing earlier, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry confirmed that the strikes killed 26 civilians and injured 46 others. He reported that Indian forces targeted locations including Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Muridke, and Ahmedpur Sharqia.
Lt Gen Chaudhry stated that Pakistan’s military responded decisively, shooting down five Indian fighter jets and one drone. “India’s misunderstanding will be corrected,” he warned, stressing that any future aggression would be met with full force.
Meanwhile, the National Security Committee (NSC) convened on Wednesday and officially authorised Pakistan’s armed forces to carry out retaliatory measures in response to the Indian attacks, which involved coordinated missile, air, and drone strikes on the night of May 6–7.
The NSC also highlighted that India’s actions endangered commercial flights from friendly Gulf nations, putting thousands of passengers at risk. Additionally, India’s deliberate targeting of the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project was called a clear violation of international conventions.
Labeling the strikes as “unprovoked, cowardly, and unlawful acts of war,” the NSC reaffirmed Pakistan’s right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
These developments come amid heightened tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors following a deadly attack in the Pahalgam area of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). India has blamed Pakistan for that incident, though Islamabad has firmly denied any involvement and criticized the accusations as baseless and unsupported by evidence.
