Pakistan authorises armed forces to respond to India attack

Milan, 7 May (LaPresse/AP) – The government of Pakistan has made it known that Islamabad reserves the right to respond to the attack by India ‘in self-defence, at a time, place and manner it deems fit’ and added that the armed forces have been authorised to take ‘corresponding action’ to avenge what it called a violation of the country's sovereignty. Pakistan's National Security Committee, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, denounced in a statement that India's attack was carried out ‘under the false pretext of the presence of imaginary terrorist camps’ and deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure, including mosques. ‘These unprovoked and unjustified attacks have resulted in the deaths of innocent men, women and children,’ the statement read, adding that the Pakistani army responded to the attacks by shooting down five Indian fighters and reconnaissance planes.