TENSIONS ESCALATE AS INDIA AND PAKISTAN EXCHANGE DEADLY CROSS-BORDER STRIKES
By Opeyemi Olugbemi
New Delhi/Islamabad — India and Pakistan engaged in the fiercest military confrontation in over two decades on Wednesday, with airstrikes and shelling across the disputed Kashmir region raising fears of broader conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
India launched strikes on what it described as nine “terrorist infrastructure” targets in Pakistan and Pakistani-administered Kashmir, in response to last month’s deadly militant attack on Hindu tourists in Indian Kashmir that killed 26. According to Indian defense officials, the targeted sites included headquarters of Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba, groups long accused of cross-border militancy.
Pakistan denied hosting militant camps and said six of its sites were hit, all civilian. At least 26 civilians were reported killed and 46 wounded, the Pakistani military said. The Indian defense ministry described its operation—dubbed Operation Sindoor—as “restrained and precise.”
In a dramatic escalation, Pakistan claimed it shot down five Indian fighter jets. While India has yet to confirm the loss, local authorities in Indian Kashmir reported three separate crashes involving fighter aircraft, with all pilots hospitalized.
Footage and images of debris from one of the crash sites have circulated in local media, but Reuters could not independently verify their authenticity.
Pakistan’s military condemned the Indian strikes as a “blatant act of war,” and said it had informed the United Nations Security Council of its right to respond. “Pakistan remains a responsible state,” said military spokesperson Maj. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, “but will take all necessary steps to defend its sovereignty.”
Cross-border shelling intensified throughout Wednesday, with police reporting at least seven civilians killed and 35 injured on the Indian side. In Pakistani Kashmir’s capital, Muzaffarabad, Indian strikes damaged a mosque, whose collapsed minaret was cordoned off by security forces at daybreak.
Pakistan closed schools across much of the country, including Islamabad and Punjab province, and placed hospitals on emergency alert. District officials in Forward Kahuta reported multiple casualties from mortar fire, including children.
Indian television broadcast images of explosions and fireballs lighting up the night sky across the border. A post by the Indian Army on X declared: “Justice is served.”
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Islamabad was responding but did not provide further details. His defence minister reiterated that all Indian targets were civilian sites and denied any links to militant activity.
India maintains that its response was prompted by clear evidence of Pakistani involvement in the April killings, stating that two suspects were Pakistani nationals. Islamabad has firmly rejected the allegation.
The crisis has drawn international concern. UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the Chinese government called for restraint. U.S. President Donald Trump described the violence as “a shame,” while Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged both nations to avoid further escalation and maintain open lines of communication.
The Kashmir region has been at the heart of three wars between India and Pakistan since their 1947 independence. While both sides recommitted to a 2003 ceasefire in 2021, the intensity and scope of these latest strikes mark a sharp and dangerous departure from recent years’ relative calm.
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