Pakistan holds top security meeting after overnight missile strikes by India

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Pakistan on Wednesday summoned an emergency meeting of its top security body to discuss the situation after overnight Indian military strikes that killed at least 26 people, according to the state-run Pakistan Television.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is chairing the meeting of the National Security Committee in the capital Islamabad, which is also being attended by the three services chiefs and key Cabinet members.

The meeting is expected to take key decisions to respond to Indian air strikes.

Earlier, India said it launched midnight strikes on cities in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, targeting "nine terrorist locations."

Some 26 people, including women and children, were killed and another 46 were injured in the strikes, the Pakistani army said. It added six places were hit by Indian missiles.

At least eight people, including five on Pakistani and three on Indian side along the Line of Control, were killed due to exchange of fire by the rival militaries, officials on the two sides said.

Islamabad also claimed to have shot down five Indian fighter jets and a combat drone. There was no reaction from New Delhi to Islamabad's claim.

Pakistan said the attack violates its sovereignty and it reserves the right to respond.

The escalation between the nuclear-armed neighbors comes in the wake of April 22 attack in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir in which 26 people were killed. India had blamed Pakistan for the attack, claiming there were cross-border links.

Pakistan denied its involvement and offered a neutral probe with third-party monitoring.

Both countries took a plethora of measures against each other after the attack, including the suspension of visas and the expulsion of diplomats.