UPDATE - 2 Indian Air Force jets downed: Pakistan's military

ADDS PAKISTANI MINISTER'S STATEMENT, CHANGES HEADLINE, LEDE

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) – The Pakistani Air Force downed two Indian Air Force jets following missile strikes by India, the Pakistani military said early Wednesday.

“There are two confirmed aircraft of the Indian Air Force that have already been shot down," Pakistani military spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry was quoted by CNN as saying.

"There are other reports of multiple damage that the Pakistani forces, both on the ground and air, have inflicted. But I can confirm to you that at least two aircraft of the Indian Air Force have been downed," he added.

There was no immediate official reaction from Indian authorities to Pakistani state media reports about the downing of the two jets.

Pakistan Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said during an interview with Sky News that Pakistan's response is "ongoing" but declined to share details.

Earlier, India launched missile attacks targeting several cities in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Pakistani military spokesperson Chaudhry said India had fired missiles on the cities of Bahawalpur, Muridke, Bagh, Muzaffarabad and Kotli from its air space.

He confirmed at least three deaths and more than a dozen injuries.

The escalation between the nuclear-armed neighbors comes in the wake of an April 22 attack in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir in which 26 people were killed. India blamed Pakistan for the attack, claiming there were cross-border links.

Pakistan denied that it had anything to do with the killings.

*Contribution by Iclal Turan