In a major escalation along the Line of Control, India’s military on Wednesday launched Operation Sindoor, striking nine targets in Pakistan-administered Kashmir (PoK) and Punjab province. New Delhi said its precision missile strikes hit “terrorist infrastructure…from where attacks against India were planned and directed,” deliberately avoiding Pakistani military bases to minimize civilian harm.
Pakistani forces responded within hours, claiming to have downed five Indian warplanes and shot down several missiles. Islamabad confirmed at least eight civilians killed and 35 wounded in PoK locations including Muzaffarabad and Kotli, as well as the city of Bahawalpur in Punjab, where a mosque was struck.
Both sides have since exchanged heavy shelling and small-arms fire along multiple sectors of the contested frontier. India’s Ministry of Defence emphasized that its action was “focused, measured, and non-escalatory,” while Pakistan’s army vowed to continue responding to any further incursions.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for “maximum restraint” from both nuclear-armed neighbors. U.S. President Donald Trump expressed concern over the clashes, calling them “a shame” and urging an immediate de-escalation.
Analysts warn that rising domestic pressures in both capitals—fueled by last month’s brutal attack on tourists in Indian Kashmir—risk dragging the region into a wider confrontation. For now, both governments appear locked in a dangerous tit-for-tat, with civilians on both sides bearing the brunt of renewed hostilities.
