The conflict between India and Pakistan has escalated significantly following Indian air strikes on Pakistan-administered areas, which New Delhi claims were targeted at terrorist camps.
Pakistan, however, has condemned the strikes, pledging to avenge the deaths of 31 civilians reportedly killed in the attacks.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a late-night address to the nation on Wednesday, declared that the government would “avenge each drop of the blood of these martyrs.”
The statement came after days of mounting tension between the two countries, sparked by an attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir.
وزیراعظم محمد شہباز شریف نے بھارتی جارحیت پر بروقت اور دندان شکن جواب دینے پر افوج پاکستان کی پیشہ وارانہ صلاحیتوں کی تعریف کی۔
“جو طیارے بھارت کا غرور تھے وہ اب خاک بن چکے ہیں، ہم اپنے شہیدوں کے خون کے ایک ایک قطرے کا حساب لیں گے”
وزیراعظم#PakistanZindabad pic.twitter.com/u1zY4EtUMM— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) May 7, 2025
Indian and Pakistani military actions
India reported that its air force targeted nine “terrorist camps” in Pakistan in the early hours of Wednesday.
The strikes were carried out in response to a recent attack on tourists in the disputed Kashmir region, which killed 26 people on 22 April. India has accused Pakistan-based group Lashkar-e-Taiba of orchestrating the assault, a claim Pakistan denies.
According to an Indian senior security official, three Indian fighter jets crashed on home soil, while Pakistan’s military spokesman, Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, claimed five Indian jets were downed across the border.
Both sides continue to exchange heavy artillery fire along the Line of Control (LoC), which divides the contested Kashmir region.
Civilian casualties and damaged infrastructure
At least 43 deaths have been confirmed since the escalation began, with 31 civilians killed on the Pakistani side and 12 reported dead from Indian-administered territory, according to government sources from both nations.
The largest Indian strike targeted an Islamic seminary near Bahawalpur, killing 13 people. Other targets included a health and education complex in Muridke and a mosque in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan-administered Kashmir, killing the mosque’s caretaker.
Four children were among those killed in Wednesday’s strikes, as reported by the Pakistani military. Additionally, a hydropower plant in Kashmir was damaged, following India’s warning that it might restrict water flow to Pakistan.
Displaced residents and calls for calm
Residents in affected areas have described the terror and displacement caused by the strikes. “There were terrible sounds during the night, there was panic among everyone,” said Muhammad Salman, a resident of Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Another resident, Tariq Mir, who was injured in the leg, expressed uncertainty about where to seek safety.
In Indian-administered Kashmir, civilians have also been fleeing areas targeted by Pakistani shelling. Wasim Ahmed from Salamabad village recounted how houses were damaged and residents were left injured.
Diplomatic fallout and international response
The international community has expressed growing concerns about the conflict. The United Nations, through a spokesperson for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, stated that “the world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan.”
U.S. President Donald Trump also called for a de-escalation, offering to mediate if necessary.
Iran has also entered the diplomatic fray, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visiting both Islamabad and New Delhi in an effort to mediate and reduce tensions.
Longstanding conflict
The latest violence is rooted in the historic conflict over Kashmir, a region claimed by both India and Pakistan but administered separately.
The two countries have fought two wars over the territory since gaining independence from British rule in 1947. Armed insurgencies in Indian-administered Kashmir, often blamed on Pakistan, have persisted since 1989, with India regularly accusing Islamabad of supporting militant groups. Pakistan denies these allegations.
Political rhetoric and future threats
India has framed its recent actions as defensive and non-escalatory, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh asserting New Delhi’s right to respond to attacks on its citizens.
Conversely, Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif accused Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using military action to bolster domestic support.
Chaudhry, the Pakistani military spokesman, warned that Pakistan reserves the right to retaliate “at a time, place, and manner of its choosing.” He emphasised that the armed forces had been granted full authority by the government to respond.
With continued artillery fire reported along the LoC, the situation remains tense. The possibility of further escalation looms, as both nations maintain a hardline stance.
The post Pakistan vows to avenge deaths from Indian air strikes amid escalating violence appeared first on The Online Citizen.
