Amidst escalating tensions between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan, several Pakistani cities endured missile strikes late Wednesday night, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of Pakistan's military.

The Indian strikes targeted a number of locations across Pakistan, including places of worship and residential zones. These attacks follow a recent deadly incident where Indian tourists were assaulted in Indian-administered Kashmir last month, an event India has attributed to militants based in Pakistan.

Cities Affected and Reported Damage:

1. Ahmadpur East, Bahawalpur:

   • Target: Subhan Mosque and four residential buildings.
   • Missiles Launched: 4.
   • Casualties: 5 fatalities, including a 3-year-old girl; 31 individuals injured (25 men, 6 women).
   • Damage: Complete destruction of the mosque; significant damage to adjacent houses.

2. Muzaffarabad (Pakistan-administered Kashmir):

   • Target: Bilal Mosque.
   • Missiles Launched: 7.
   • Casualties: 1 girl injured.
   • Damage: Mosque destroyed.

3. Kotli (Pakistan-administered Kashmir):

   • Target: Abbots Mosque.
   • Missiles Launched: 5.
   • Casualties: 2 fatalities (a 16-year-old girl and an 18-year-old boy); 2 individuals injured (a woman and her daughter).
   • Damage: Believed to be extensive damage to the mosque.

4. Muridke (near Lahore):

   • Target: Mosque.
   • Missiles Launched: 4.
   • Casualties: 1 fatality, 1 injured, 2 missing.
   • Damage: Mosque destroyed; substantial economic losses reported for local pottery workers.

5. Kotli Loharan, Sialkot District:

   • Target: Open field (suspected missile malfunction).
   • Missiles Launched: 2.
   • Casualties: None.
   • Damage: None.

6. Near Shakargarh:

   • Target: Local dispensary.
   • Missiles Launched: 2.
   • Casualties: Unconfirmed.
   • Damage: Minor.

India has claimed that the strikes targeted nine locations allegedly housing terrorist infrastructure. However, the Pakistani military refuted this, stating that none of the targeted areas were militant camps and confirming that six Pakistani sites were hit.

During a Wednesday morning media briefing, ISPR Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry condemned the previous night's "unprovoked" attack and reported a further act by India: the targeting and damaging of the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project. He questioned India's intentions, asking if international and war laws permit attacks on a nation's water resources.

In retaliation, Pakistan claimed to have shot down five Indian fighter jets. While Indian officials have not confirmed these losses, four government sources in Indian Kashmir informed Reuters that three Indian jets crashed in separate areas of the region, with all pilots hospitalized.

These recent events represent the most significant outbreak of conflict between the two long-standing rivals in over two decades, raising serious concerns about the potential for further military escalation.