Pakistan warns India against escalation, denies airspace violation claims

Military accuses India of targeting dams and mosques, risking civil aviation and regional stability; urges global attention to rising hostilities

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (MNTV) —Pakistan has rejected Indian accusations of an airspace violation and accused New Delhi of escalating regional tensions through “reckless and provocative military actions.”

Addressing international and local media, Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR), dismissed claims that Pakistani aircraft had crossed into Indian airspace amid rising hostilities between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

“At no point did any Pakistani aircraft enter Indian territory,” Gen Sharif stated. “The allegations are unfounded and appear aimed at justifying Indian aggression.”

He further warned that India’s air operations endangered civilian air traffic.

“Over 57 international and several domestic flights were transiting through Pakistani airspace at the time of India’s airstrikes. The safety of thousands of civilians was recklessly compromised,” he said.

The DG ISPR confirmed that Pakistan’s armed forces had responded proportionately and in self-defense, claiming five Indian aircraft had been shot down during the exchange.

“Pakistan retains the right to respond to aggression in accordance with its national interest,” he said, adding that further escalation could lead to consequences “beyond control.”

Lt Gen Sharif said India has also targeted the Noseri Dam at the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project in Pakistan-administered Kashmir — a major civilian facility providing electricity and water to the region.

“This is not just a military provocation; it is a dangerous and unacceptable escalation,” he said. “Targeting water infrastructure violates international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions. It is a war crime under international legal standards.”

The Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project is part of a $4 billion infrastructure initiative and a key asset in Pakistan’s energy sector. Indian targeting of such facilities, officials warned, risks environmental catastrophe and regional destabilization.

Lt Gen Sharif presented a disturbing list of civilian casualties, accusing India of striking places of worship during the ongoing conflict:

•   In Ahmedpur East, Indian missiles hit Masjid Subhanallah, killing 13 civilians — including seven women and two girls — and injuring 37.
•   In Muzaffarabad, a strike on Masjid Bilal resulted in three deaths, including children.
•   In Kotli, Masjid Abbas was hit, killing a 16-year-old girl and an 18-year-old boy, while injuring a mother and her daughter.
•   In Muridke, three men were killed and one injured in a similar incident.
•   In Shakargarh, a missile hit a dispensary, causing minor property damage but no fatalities.

“These were not military targets. These were mosques, homes, and basic civilian services. This amounts to state-sponsored terror,” Gen Sharif said, appealing to international humanitarian agencies to take notice.

Pakistan urged international actors, particularly the United Nations, Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and major powers like China, Russia, and the United States, to intervene diplomatically and prevent the situation from spiraling into a full-scale war.

“We call on the international community to hold India accountable for its reckless behavior and violations of international norms,” Gen Sharif said.

He also reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to peace but warned that its “sovereignty and civilian population will be defended at all costs.”

The flare-up follows the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, in Indian-administered Kashmir, which killed 26 people. India blamed Pakistan-based militants and launched Operation Sindoor, a series of cross-border airstrikes targeting what it claims are militant camps.

Pakistan, however, insists that India used the attack as a pretext for broader strategic objectives, including striking civilian and energy infrastructure.

This latest round of hostilities marks the most serious military escalation between the two countries since the Balakot strikes in 2019, which followed the Pulwama terror attack.

Both countries maintain disputed claims over the Kashmir region and have fought multiple wars since independence in 1947.