Pakistan's capital city has been rocked by huge explosions, with flames filling the night sky. Several people have taken to social media to share images of huge bright orange filling the skies of Islamabad.
Footage posted online shows flames and smoke rising near the Margalla Hills and Chaklala area of Rawalpindi, close to military installations. At least three blasts were reported across Islamabad, with separate reports of an explosion in Lahore earlier in the evening.
Reports on social media claim drones were involved, with some suggesting they were brought down by Pakistani forces. The Pakistani military has not officially commented.
Several Pakistani sources reported that military sites in Lahore and Islamabad were the intended targets, with reports suggesting India may be stepping up its military operations following a terror attack last month that killed several Hindu tourists.
India has blamed the incident on Pakistan - a claim Islamabad denies.
It comes just hours after a wave of blasts was reported across Indian-administered Kashmir, including ten near the airport in Srinagar and others in Amritsar, the Sikh holy city in Punjab state.
The Indian military confirmed it was shooting down drones across multiple regions and accused Pakistan of endangering civilian lives by keeping its airspace open during Thursday night’s aerial assault.
Wing Commander Vyomika Singh said: “Pakistan launched an unprovoked aerial assault, targeting Indian territory with drones and missiles.” She added that civilian aircraft were being used as shields, with commercial flights still active during the attack.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has claimed that India fired ballistic missiles that landed within Indian territory, according to Reuters. The claim has not been independently verified.
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