Lahore, Pakistan (AP) – Pakistan’s air defense system has dropped a dozen Indian drones overnight as a military goal near the eastern city of Lahor, causing damage and wounds, officials said on Thursday.
This is followed by Indian rocket strikes in Pakistani places, which killed 31 civilians earlier, including women and children, according to employees.
In the meantime, India evacuated thousands of people from villages near the highly militarized border of the two countries in the disputed region of Kashmir.
The tension between the two countries was attacked by April 22, when the artillerymen killed 26 people, mainly Indian Hindu tourists, in India -controlled Kashmir. India accused Pakistan of supporting the fighters who carried out the attack, something that Islamabad denied.
Drones removed in Pakistan
Pakistan’s spokesman, Lieutenant General Ahmad Sharif, said the Indian drown wounds four soldiers and partially damaged a military goal near Lahor overnight, while the air defense system in the country intercepted and removed 12 Indian drones that entered the Pakistani space. It does not give more details about the attack.
He added that in the province of South Sind, one civilian was killed and another wounded when debris from the drones fell to a populated area.
The incidents could not be inspected independently and the Indian officials did not comment immediately.
In Lahore, local police officer Mohammed Rizun said a drone was removed near Walton Airport, an airport in an apartment area about 25 kilometers (16 miles) from the border with India, which also contains military installations.
Local media reports that two additional drones have been taken down in other cities of the province of Pendjab, of which Lahore is the capital.
In the district of Punjab, a drone in the casual in the agricultural land. No victims are not reported. The chief of the Regional Police Glam Mohiddin did not say whose drone. Authorities have secured the remains and investigates the origin and purpose of the drone.
India said his strikes on Wednesday are aimed at at least nine sites in Pakistan related to planning terrorist attacks against India. Some of these goals were in Punjab and the greater part of the victims on Wednesday were in this province.
Fears of conflict escalation
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif swore at night to avenge the killings, but did not give details, raising fears from a wider conflict between the two nuclear armed neighbors.
Tens of thousands of people were sleeping overnight over the border with India -controlled Kashmir overnight, officials and residents said on Thursday.
Indian authorities evacuated civilians from dozens of villages near the highly militarized control line overnight, while some living in border cities such as Uri and Puonch leave their homes voluntarily, three police officers and civil servants. They spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with departmental regulations.
The India Foreign Ministry said 13 civilians were killed and 59 wounded the previous day during a fire exchange across the actual border. An Indian soldier was also killed by fire on Wednesday, according to the Indian army.
Iranian Foreign Minister will meet with Indian officials
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi arrived in the capital of India on Wednesday night for a pre -planned visit. He had to meet with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar later on Thursday, and the duo will co-chair of a joint forum for economic cooperation.
Iran offered to mediate between India and Pakistan, and Aragchi was in Pakistan on Monday to meet the best leaders as part of these efforts.
___
AP writers Aijaz Hussein in Srinagar, India and Rajesh Roy in New Delhi contributed to this report.