Tensions have escalated between India and Pakistan following a series of strikes by India on Pakistani territory, marking the most severe clash between the nuclear-armed neighbors in over two decades.
Pakistan’s military announced it had shot down five Indian aircraft in response to the attack, which it claimed killed at least 31 civilians and wounded 46 others. A military spokesperson stated that the casualties resulted from both missile strikes and border shelling, accusing India of igniting a dangerous conflict in the region.
Islamabad vowed to retaliate at a time and manner of its choosing, pledging to avenge the deaths of Pakistani civilians and what it described as a blatant violation of its sovereignty. The government also firmly denied Indian accusations of harboring terrorist camps on its soil.
“For the blatant mistake that India made last night, it will now have to pay the price. Perhaps they thought that we would retreat, but they forgot that…this is a nation of brave people,” Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, assured that any retaliatory strikes would be limited to Indian military targets, avoiding civilian casualties.
The conflict erupted after India launched missile strikes on Wednesday targeting areas in Pakistan and Pakistani-administered Kashmir. Indian officials briefed more than a dozen foreign envoys in New Delhi, warning that “if Pakistan responds, India will respond,” raising fears of a broader military conflict in the already volatile region.
The escalation comes at a critical time for Pakistan’s economy, valued at $350 billion, which is still recovering from a financial crisis and working to stabilize its finances under a $7 billion IMF loan program secured in 2024.
India claimed its strikes targeted nine “terrorist infrastructure” sites, some allegedly linked to last month’s attack by Islamist militants that left 25 Hindu tourists and one local dead in Indian-administered Kashmir.
