ISLAMABAD – Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif convened an emergency meeting of the National Command Authority (NCA) early on Saturday to discuss possible responses involving the country's missile and nuclear capabilities amid escalating tensions with India, state television reported.

The meeting came after India launched missile and drone strikes in multiple areas of Pakistan, including three airbases of the Pakistan Air Force, and also resorted to unprovoked firing along the international border in eastern Punjab province, Pakistani officials and sources confirmed in the wee hours of Saturday.

The NCA, which is chaired by the PM, is the country's highest decision-making body responsible for the command, control, and oversight of Pakistan's nuclear weapons program. It also serves as the principal policymaking institution on matters related to weapons of mass destruction and national strategic security.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told the media that Pakistan has exercised maximum restraint in the face of Indian aggression in order to preserve regional peace. However, he said the Indian missile strikes on Pakistan's strategic airbases early Saturday morning had crossed a red line.

"Pakistan's patience has reached its limit," he said, adding that the country had no option but to fight back.

He warned that if India proceeds with further military escalation, it could trigger a nuclear conflict, adding that Pakistan is taking precautionary decisions in advance through the NCA to prepare for all possible scenarios.  

Pakistan launched an offensive operation against India amid continuous provocation, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan army, said in a statement.

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A JF-17 Thunder jet of Pakistan has destroyed India's S-400 air defense system in India's Punjab, according to the Pakistan army.

The ISPR said Pakistan’s operation "Bunyanun Marsoos", meaning concrete structure, has been initiated and that multiple targets are being engaged all across India.

An air base in Udhampur in Indian-controlled Kashmir has been destroyed, it said, adding that an airfield in Pathankot district of India's Punjab province has also been targeted and destroyed.

Meanwhile, attacks on various other places were continuing, it added.

Official sources told Xinhua that the BrahMos missile storage facility in the Indian city of Beas had been reportedly destroyed in the initial strike.

The development came after India launched air-to-surface missiles at three air bases in Pakistan, a spokesperson for the Pakistani army said in the wee hours of Saturday.

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Earlier this week, the director general of the ISPR said that at least 31 people were killed and 57 others injured in an Indian attack on Pakistani territory and subsequent exchanges of fire between Pakistani and Indian troops along the Line of Control, the de facto border between the two neighbors.

Meanwhile, the Indian missiles were launched from Indian aircraft targeting Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi city of Punjab province, where the headquarters of the Pakistani army is located, said ISPR director general Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry.

The Pakistani military successfully intercepted the missiles and confirmed that two other PAF airbases in Punjab were also targeted, but all strategic assets remain safe and operational, he added.

Speaking to Xinhua on condition of anonymity, well-placed sources said that five security personnel, including an officer, were injured in the attacks and shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment.

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The sources added that the Indian army also initiated unprovoked firing at the international border near Narowal district in Punjab province, injuring one Pakistani soldier.

A few short-range missiles also landed in Punjab's provincial capital city of Lahore, though no casualties or property damage were reported.

Several drones were reported in various parts of the country, including the capital city of Peshawar in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

One man was injured when a drone fell in the Gulberg Greens area at the outskirts of the capital, Islamabad police sources told Xinhua, adding that multiple drones had been spotted in the capital, and police, along with security agencies, were dispatched to investigate the situation.

Saifullah Khan, a spokesperson of the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority, told Xinhua that all airfields of Pakistan have been closed till 12:00 am local time (GMT 0700) Saturday.