Hostilities between nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan intensified Thursday, with both countries claiming to have intercepted multiple air and missile attacks amid worsening cross-border violence.
Pakistan’s military said it shot down 25 drones allegedly launched from India, including over the key cities of Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi. One of the drones reportedly struck a military target near Lahore, injuring four soldiers, according to Pakistani military spokesperson Maj Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry. “India will continue to pay dearly for this naked aggression,” Chaudhry warned in a statement.
Meanwhile, India’s defence ministry accused Pakistan of attempting to strike military installations in northern and western regions overnight. Indian air defences “neutralised” the incoming threats, the ministry said, adding that India responded by targeting Pakistani air defence radars and systems. “The Indian response has been in the same domain with the same intensity,” the statement read.
The escalation follows an Indian strike on what it described as “terrorist infrastructure” inside Pakistan on Wednesday. That operation came two weeks after an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people, mostly Hindu tourists — an incident New Delhi blames on Pakistan. Islamabad denies involvement and claims it shot down five Indian aircraft during the strikes, a claim dismissed by Indian officials as “misinformation.”
Fighting has also intensified along the Line of Control in Kashmir, the heavily militarised de facto border. India reported 16 civilian deaths, including children and women, from Pakistani shelling, while Islamabad said 31 of its civilians were killed and around 50 injured.
In the Indian border state of Punjab, residents engaged in panic buying as fears of a wider conflict grew. Authorities in Pakistan temporarily suspended flight operations at airports in Lahore, Karachi, and Sialkot. Meanwhile, India conducted blackout drills in its frontier regions, and hotels in the Kashmir tourist hotspot Gulmarg were evacuated.
The renewed clashes have shaken regional financial markets. Pakistan’s stock exchange halted trading after a sharp decline of 6.3%, while Indian markets also fell after the defence ministry’s statement.
Despite the intensifying conflict, both countries signalled willingness to avoid full-scale war. Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told The New York Times that Islamabad was prepared to de-escalate. Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said New Delhi had no intention to escalate, but warned of a “very, very firm response” if provoked.
World powers, including the United States, China, and Russia, have urged restraint. “We hope they can work it out,” U.S. President Donald Trump said, offering to mediate if needed. China echoed the call for calm, urging both sides to prioritise peace and stability.
