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Pakistan airspace closure: The Pakistan government has closed its airspace for all commercial flights at Lahore and Islamabad airports after India launched a powerful attack on terror camps. "The country's airspace is closed for all commercial flights at Lahore and Islamabad airports," said the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) in a statement late Wednesday night. The Karachi airport is, however, operational.

Flightradar24- a website dedicated to a flight tracker that shows air traffic in real time-- shows planes avoiding Pakistani airspace, and some flights were seen taking a u-turn as a precautionary measure.

Pakistan earlier on Wednesday announced a 48-hour closure of its airspace for all air traffic after India carried out a military strike on terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Serious risk: Pakistani Airlines

The PAA said that it has formally conveyed its concerns to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) regarding the "serious risks" posed to civil aviation safety by India's "reckless and provocative actions".

Indian armed forces early Wednesday carried out missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir under Operation Sindoor. It was launched in retaliation for the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22 that killed 26 people. 

 

READ: Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Warns Retaliation In His Address To Nation After India's Successful Operation Sindoor

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to retaliate after India carried out a mega operation. "For the blatant mistake that India made last night, it will now have to pay the price," Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a televised address on state broadcaster PTV to the nation. "Perhaps they thought that we would retreat, but they forgot that...this is a nation of brave people," he added.

Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told broadcaster Geo News that Islamabad would only strike Indian military targets and not civilians, in retaliation.

India will respond: Govt

India briefed more than a dozen foreign envoys in New Delhi that "if Pakistan responds, India will respond". Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, the top official in its external affairs ministry, said the strikes were to pre-empt further attacks on India. "India made it clear that if Pakistan responds, India will respond," said Misri during a special briefing in the national capital.

(With inputs from agency)

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