Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif delivered a forceful address to the nation following overnight missile strikes by India that killed at least 31 civilians, saying New Delhi “will have to suffer the consequences” for its actions.

“Perhaps they thought we would retreat – but they overlooked the fact that this is a nation built on courage,” Sharif said, according to Dawn. Calling the attacks “cowardly”, he added, “In India’s cowardly attack, 26 innocent civilians were slain and 46 were injured … We just offered funeral prayers for a slain child, seven-year-old Irtaza Abbas.”

While the initial death toll was put at 26, it was later revised up to 31, with 57 injured. 

In a related context, Pakistan’s military claims to have shot down five Indian Air Force jets, including three French-made Rafales. A senior French intelligence official confirmed to CNN that at least one Rafale was downed, marking what would be the first combat loss of the advanced fighter. French authorities are reportedly investigating whether more were taken down.

On his part, Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told CNN that while Islamabad is “trying to avoid” a full-scale war, it is ready for escalation. “There is absolutely no doubt, because India is increasing the intensity, the stakes of this conflict. So… we can’t be caught with our guards down,” he declared.

Earlier, Prime Minister Sharif vowed retribution, stating, “Every drop of their blood that has been shed will be made accountable.” He concluded, “We are a nation of courageous people. We will fight until the last drop of blood.”

Reactions to the Indian-Pakistani skirmishes 

On his part, US President Donald Trump reacted by calling the situation “so terrible", adding, “I get along with both. I know both very well, and I want to see them work it out. I want to see them stop, and hopefully they can stop now. If I can do anything to help, I will be there.”

Meanwhile, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also weighed in after speaking with Sharif via a phone call. A Turkish presidential readout said Erdogan expressed “solidarity” with Islamabad and supported Pakistan’s “calm and restrained policies.” He also endorsed Pakistan’s call for an investigation into the deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that ignited the current crisis.

Iran's FM heads to India, urges restraint 

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi departed Tehran for New Delhi on Wednesday evening, heading a diplomatic delegation, for talks with senior Indian officials.

Araghchi will co-chair, along with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, a meeting of the joint economic commission to follow up on the latest progress of bilateral economic agreements, a few days after visiting Pakistan.

The top Iranian diplomat urged both New Delhi and Islamabad to exercise restraint and avoid escalation in the region. 

He said that the region needs peace and expanded economic cooperation between its nations. 

Wider context

After tensions between India and Pakistan escalated in recent weeks, India launched a military operation dubbed "Sindoor", which included strikes on several sites inside Pakistan.

Islamabad, in turn, vowed to respond and announced it had downed five Indian aircraft before they entered its airspace. It added that the Indian attack resulted in the killing of 26 civilians and the injury of 46 others.

This development comes two weeks after an attack that was carried out by gunmen in the Indian region of Pahalgam killed 26 people. Pakistan denied Indian claims of being behind the attack. Meanwhile, as of yet, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place in a region that has witnessed an armed insurgency since 1989 by groups seeking either independence or accession to Pakistan, a country that shares control of Kashmir with India.