In one of the most dangerous escalations in over two decades, tensions between India and Pakistan have dramatically intensified following a series of missile strikes and aerial confrontations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
On Wednesday, India launched a powerful offensive, striking nine alleged terrorist infrastructure sites across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The Indian government described the action as a targeted response to last month’s terror attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, which killed 26 people — 25 Hindu tourists and one local resident.
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stated that the strikes were executed with “surgical precision,” ensuring minimal civilian impact while achieving all strategic objectives.
Pakistan, however, condemned the strikes as an unprovoked violation of its sovereignty, claiming that none of the sites targeted were militant facilities. According to Pakistan’s military spokesperson, at least 31 civilians were killed and 46 injured, not only from the missile strikes but also from intensified cross-border shelling.
In a televised address, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared: “For the blatant mistake that India made last night, it will now have to pay the price. Perhaps they thought we would retreat — but this is a nation of brave people.”
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Pakistan also claimed it shot down five Indian aircraft in retaliation and vowed to respond “at a time, place and manner of its choosing.” Defence Minister Khawaja Asif assured that any counter-strike would be focused solely on Indian military targets and not civilian infrastructure — signaling Islamabad’s intention to avoid further escalation, at least for now.
Meanwhile, Indian officials briefed over a dozen foreign envoys in New Delhi, warning that any Pakistani retaliation would be met with an immediate and forceful Indian response. This has heightened international fears of a broader conflict erupting in South Asia’s most volatile flashpoint, home to more than 1.5 billion people.
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Pakistan’s military noted that 57 commercial aircraft were in its airspace at the time of the Indian attack, including carriers from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Thailand, South Korea, and China — putting thousands of passengers at risk.
In Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistani-administered Kashmir, five missiles reportedly struck a mosque-seminary that also housed residential quarters, killing three people and causing significant damage.
Adding to the gravity of the situation is Pakistan’s fragile economic condition. With a $350 billion economy still recovering from a recent financial crisis, Islamabad is trying to maintain progress on a $7 billion IMF bailout programme. The ongoing conflict now poses a serious threat to Pakistan’s economic stability.
This latest flare-up also marks the first Indian strike on Punjab province — Pakistan’s most populous region — since the full-scale war between the two countries in 1971.
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