'Pak Claims to Have Downed Five Indian Planes in Response to India’s Strike': Dawn Columnist

Zahid Hussain, columnist at Pakistan's Dawn newspaper spoke to Karan Thapar for The Wire about India's military strikes in Pakistan.

Hussain said that Pakistan’s claim to have downed five Indian planes is its response to India’s strike. He also pointed to Pakistan’s claim that it has successfully attacked what he called Brigade Headquarters in Jammu, which India’s Press Information Bureau has refuted.

Together these two alleged developments, Hussain said, constitute Pakistan’s response to India’s military strikes on nine targets. Hussain said that this is what Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan defence minister Khawaja Asif were referring to, when the former said there would be “a full and strong response” and when the latter said “we will give a far greater response than their strike”.

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.