The Pakistan Airport Authority (PAA) confirmed on Wednesday that all airports throughout the country “remain completely operational” and that airspace “remains open and safe for civil aviation activities.”
This guarantee follows Pakistan’s reprisals for missile attacks launched by India, which resulted in the death of at least 26 people in Pakistan early on Wednesday. In response, Pakistan knocked down five Indian planes.
The PAA emphasized that he had formally communicated Pakistan’s concerns to the International Civil Aviation Organization (Icao), citing the serious risks for the security of civil aviation raised by the “reckless and provocative actions” of India.
The authority also reiterated its commitment to guarantee the safe and uninterrupted movement of national and international commercial flights, effectively managing national airspace.
Following the air attacks, the National Security Council of Pakistan (NSC) condemned the actions of India, calling them an “illegal act and a shameless violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty.”
The NSC reaffirmed that Pakistan “reserves the right to respond in self -defense at a time, place and way of choosing”, promising avenge the loss of innocent lives.
Later in the day, Prime Minister Shehbaz commented that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) could have demolished at least 10 Indian planes but had demonstrated restrictions.
The prime minister also approached a recent incident in Pahalgam in illegally occupied Indians Jammu and Kashmira (Iiojk), which Pakistan condemned. The Indian media, however, sought to blame Islamabad without any evidence.
On Wednesday, the general director of Public Relations between Services (DG ISPR), Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, confirmed that 26 civilians were martyred and another 46 wounded in Indian air attacks during the night aimed at multiple civil areas through Pakistan in what he called “Operation Sindoor.”
