INDIA fired missiles into multiple locations in Pakistan-controlled territory early today, intensifying a reignited conflict that has already claimed at least 31 lives.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the strikes as an “act of war,” while India said that it was targeting militant infrastructure linked to a recent deadly attack on tourists.

The strikes come amid soaring tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours following the April 22 massacre in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir, which left numerous tourists dead.

India has blamed the attack on Pakistan-based militants, a claim Islamabad denies.

At least 26 people were killed in Pakistan by the missile strikes, with another five dead from artillery exchanges near the Line of Control, Pakistan’s military said.

In Indian-controlled Kashmir, seven people were reported killed in shelling, while India also reported casualties from Pakistani fire.

Pakistan claimed to have downed five Indian aircraft, including three advanced fighter jets, during the air raids.

Two of the jets crashed in Indian-controlled Kashmir, and one in northern Punjab, Pakistani officials said.

Addressing Parliament, Mr Sharif praised Pakistan’s military response and claimed that the Pakistan Air Force successfully jammed Indian Rafale jet communications during a reported attempted incursion.

“The enemy couldn’t even understand what had happened to them,” and the Indian jets turned back, he said.

He also criticised India for ignoring Pakistan’s call for an international investigation into the April 22 attack.

“We sought truth and transparency. They chose escalation,” he said.

India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh defended the strikes, saying they were a “rightful response” to terrorism.

“We killed only those who killed our innocents,” he said. “Our strike was well-planned, precise, and limited strictly to terror targets.”

The Kashmir region has been disputed by both countries since 1949 and has faced multiple wars.

The renewed conflict has drawn international concern, particularly due to both nations’ nuclear capabilities.

Speaking at a recent nuclear security conference in Washington, Carnegie Corporation president Dame Louise Richardson warned that the India-Pakistan standoff represents one of the most likely scenarios for a nuclear confrontation.

“If I were a betting person, I would say the odds of a first new nuclear detonation are higher in South Asia than elsewhere,” she said.