The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) confirmed on Wednesday that all airports across the country “remain fully operational” and that the airspace “continues to be open and secure for civil aviation activities.” This assurance follows Pakistan’s retaliation for missile strikes launched by India, which resulted in the deaths of at least 26 people in Pakistan early on Wednesday. In response, Pakistan shot down five Indian jets. The PAA emphasised that it had formally communicated Pakistan’s concerns to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), citing the serious risks to civil aviation safety posed by India’s “reckless and provocative actions.” The authority further reiterated its commitment to ensuring the safe and uninterrupted movement of both domestic and international commercial flights, effectively managing the national airspace. In the wake of the airstrikes, Pakistan’s National Security Council (NSC) condemned India’s actions, calling them an “illegal act and blatant violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty.” The NSC reaffirmed that Pakistan “reserves the right to respond in self-defence at a time, place, and manner of its choosing,” vowing to avenge the loss of innocent lives. Later in the day, PM Shehbaz remarked that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) could have downed at least 10 Indian aircraft but had shown restraint. The prime minister also addressed a recent incident in Pahalgam in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), which Pakistan condemned. Indian media, however, sought to blame Islamabad without any evidence. On Wednesday, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR), Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, confirmed that 26 civilians were martyred and 46 others injured in overnight Indian airstrikes targeting multiple civilian areas across Pakistan in what it called “Operation Sindoor”.