Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued a stern warning on Wednesday, vowing a strong response after India launched a major offensive striking terror hubs inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

In a nationally broadcast address, Sharif condemned the Indian action as a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and declared that retaliation was not just expected — it was certain. “The blood of our innocent martyrs will not go unavenged,” he said, according to a report by Al Jazeera.

Sharif claimed that during the Indian military action — codenamed Operation Sindoor — Pakistan’s air force brought down five Indian fighter jets. India has firmly denied this claim.

Describing the nighttime engagement along the Line of Control as an intense aerial standoff, the Prime Minister said the confrontation lasted nearly an hour. “Our pilots stayed within our airspace, but gave a fitting reply. Their aircraft were destroyed,” he said, adding that Pakistan emerged stronger from the encounter.

Sharif also reiterated Islamabad’s position on the Kashmir dispute, stating that Jammu and Kashmir remains an unresolved international issue. “India’s unilateral actions cannot alter the truth that Kashmir’s final status can only be determined by a plebiscite under international law,” he asserted.

India’s Operation Sindoor: Largest Strike Since Balakot

The Indian military launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of Wednesday in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 civilian lives. The coordinated strikes hit nine locations in Pakistan and PoK believed to be bases for banned terror groups including Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen.

Sources told India Today TV that the strikes resulted in the deaths of more than 80 terrorists.

Pakistan, however, has contested that account. According to its military spokesperson, Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, 31 civilians were killed and many others injured in the strikes. Speaking to Dawn, he said, “India’s actions deserve the strongest condemnation.”

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, in an interview with CNN, cautioned that India’s operation could escalate tensions further. CNN cited Pakistani defence sources who claimed India deployed a large fleet of fighter aircraft for the strikes.

Sharif, addressing Pakistan’s Parliament, referred to India’s Rafale jets but downplayed their significance. “India may have showcased its Rafales, but our defence forces were not caught unprepared,” he said.

The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed later that the Pakistani military had been granted full authority to take “reciprocal measures” in response to the Indian strikes.