Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated sharply on Thursday, as both nations exchanged accusations over a fresh wave of drone attacks—deepening fears of a prolonged and dangerous conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif warned that retaliation was “increasingly certain,” after the country claimed it had shot down 25 Israeli-made Indian drones. These drones reportedly targeted key locations, including Pakistan’s largest cities, Karachi and Lahore.
According to the military’s spokesperson, Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, one drone also crashed near Rawalpindi, home to Pakistan’s military headquarters. He added that one strike near Lahore injured four army personnel.
“Indian drones continue to violate our airspace. For this naked aggression, India will continue to pay dearly,” Chaudhry stated during a press briefing.
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India, however, pushed back strongly. Its Defence Ministry said Pakistani forces launched an attack on military targets across northern and western India overnight, but claimed all threats were “neutralised” by its air defence systems.
In response, India said it conducted strikes on Pakistani air defence systems, asserting that its actions matched Pakistan’s aggression in both “domain and intensity.”
This marks the second consecutive day of military clashes, triggered by India’s airstrikes on nine alleged “terrorist infrastructure” sites inside Pakistan on Wednesday. Those strikes came in response to a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22, which killed over two dozen Hindu pilgrims.
India has blamed Islamabad for backing the militants responsible, while Pakistan has firmly denied any involvement, claiming that none of the targeted sites were terrorist camps.
As violence surges, civilian casualties are mounting. Pakistan reported at least 31 civilian deaths and around 50 injuries from Wednesday’s attacks and cross-border shelling. India, meanwhile, stated that 13 of its civilians, including five children and three women, have died, with 59 others injured.
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Indian government sources told media that over 100 militants were killed in the strikes, with casualty figures still being confirmed.
Financial markets reacted swiftly. Pakistan’s benchmark stock index plunged 6.3%, triggering a trading halt. International bonds also declined sharply, with the 2036 bond falling 2.4 cents. In India, the rupee weakened, bonds dropped, and the Nifty 50 closed 0.58% lower following the Defence Ministry’s statement—marking the most volatile trading session in over a month.
The renewed hostilities have alarmed world powers. The United States, Russia, and China have all called for restraint in what remains one of the world’s most volatile and heavily militarised regions. The U.S. Consulate in Lahore issued a “shelter in place” advisory to staff, underscoring international concern over the potential for a wider military conflict.
India and Pakistan have fought three wars—two over Kashmir—since their independence in 1947. Both countries gained nuclear weapons in the late 1990s, and sporadic flare-ups have kept the region on edge ever since. But the current confrontation is already shaping up to be the worst in more than two decades.
With both governments hardening their rhetoric and trading deadly blows, the possibility of a diplomatic resolution appears increasingly remote. The world watches with bated breath as two nuclear powers stand dangerously close to the edge.
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