India and Pakistan engaged in significant artillery exchanges along their contested border on Wednesday, following a series of missile strikes by New Delhi, marking the most severe violence between the two nuclear-armed nations in two decades. 

Reports from Islamabad indicate that 26 civilians lost their lives due to the Indian strikes and subsequent border firing, while New Delhi has confirmed at least eight fatalities resulting from Pakistani shelling. 

Indian officials stated that they carried out "precision strikes at terrorist camps" located in nine sites across Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Punjab state. This action was taken days after India accused Islamabad of supporting a lethal attack on the Indian-administered region of the disputed territory. 

The Indian army has declared that "justice has been served," while New Delhi emphasized that its military actions have been "focused, measured, and non-escalatory in nature."