Egypt Daily News – Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated on Wednesday that his country has demonstrated its deterrence capability as both a nuclear and conventional power. He confirmed that the Pakistani Air Force successfully shot down five Indian fighter jets without entering Indian airspace, including three Rafale fighter jets.
Sharif explained in a press statement that three of the planes were downed inside Indian territory, one in the Bathinda region and two in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir. He added that Pakistan’s defenses also shot down two drones during the operation. The Pakistani Prime Minister remarked, “This is a conventional war, and those who claimed that India surpassed Pakistan in conventional capabilities are now realizing the strength of our military, both in the nuclear and conventional arenas.”
Pakistani Cabinet Orders Military Response
The Pakistani Cabinet declared that India’s missile strikes on Pakistani territory constitute an act of war and instructed the country’s military to respond, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s office. The National Security Committee described the Indian strikes as “an overtly hostile act” and vowed to retaliate during a meeting in Islamabad chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
A statement from the Prime Minister’s office read, “These unlawful actions are blatant violations of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, clearly amounting to acts of war under international law.”
The statement continued, “The Pakistan Armed Forces have been tasked with taking appropriate measures regarding this matter.”
Diplomatic Protest
Earlier, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Indian Chargé d’Affaires to deliver a protest note over the “unjustified strikes” carried out by the Indian military on the night of May 7. According to the statement from Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry press office, “The Indian Chargé d’Affaires was summoned today to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to receive Pakistan’s strong protest over India’s unjustified strikes on several locations in Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in the deaths and injuries of several civilians, including women and children.”
The statement further emphasized, “This blatant act of aggression by India is a clear violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty, contradicting the United Nations Charter, international law, and established norms governing relations between states.”
Pakistan strongly rejected India’s baseless justifications for its hostile actions and warned India that such reckless behavior poses a serious threat to regional peace and stability.
National Security Committee’s Call for Accountability
Following an emergency meeting in Islamabad on Wednesday, Pakistan’s National Security Committee called for India to be held accountable for its actions. The statement read, “The National Security Committee calls on the international community to recognize the seriousness of India’s unlawful and unjustified actions and to hold it accountable for its blatant violations of international norms and laws.”
Earlier, India’s Ministry of Defense had announced that its armed forces launched Operation “Sindoor” on the night of May 7, striking nine targets in Pakistan and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir. According to the Indian statement, the strikes targeted sites “where terrorist attacks against India were being planned and directed.”
The Indian Ministry of Defense also stated that these actions were in response to the brutal terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which killed 25 Indians and one Nepali national.
Pakistan’s Response
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed that Pakistan reserves the right to take retaliatory measures, while the Pakistani Armed Forces reported the downing of five Indian fighter jets.
