Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated significantly following a series of retaliatory attacks along their shared border. The conflict began after a deadly attack on Hindu tourists in Indian Kashmir last month, which India blamed on Pakistan. In response, India launched strikes on several locations in Pakistan, targeting what they described as “terrorist camps.” Pakistan denied any involvement in the Kashmir attack and retaliated with multiple attacks along India’s western border using drones and other munitions.
The Indian army reported that Pakistan’s armed forces launched “multiple attacks” along the border, using drones and other munitions. “The drone attacks were effectively repulsed and befitting reply was given to the CFVs (ceasefire violations),” the army stated, vowing to counter all “nefarious designs” with “force.” However, Pakistan Information Minister Attaullah Tarar dismissed Indian claims as “baseless and misleading,” insisting that Pakistan had not undertaken any “offensive actions” targeting areas within Indian Kashmir or beyond.
The situation on the ground remains volatile, with reports of heavy artillery shelling and drone incursions. In the Uri sector, several houses caught fire and were damaged, resulting in one woman’s death and three injuries. In Amritsar, sirens blared for over two hours, prompting authorities to urge residents to stay indoors. Tourist areas have been evacuated, and precautions have been ramped up in border regions.
Residents in affected areas have described the intensity of the conflict. Ansab, a student at the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agriculture, Science and Technology in Jammu, recounted hearing overnight blasts. “The explosions were more violent and louder around 4 a.m. (2230 GMT Thursday),” she said. “For two to three minutes it became very loud, windows started shaking as if they will break.” The air was later described as “smoggy,” a mix of smoke and fog.
The Kashmir region has been a longstanding point of contention between India and Pakistan, fueling two of the three wars they have fought since independence from British colonial rule in 1947. World powers have urged restraint, with U.S. Vice President JD Vance reiterating calls for calm. The current fighting marks the deadliest confrontation since the 1999 Kargil conflict, with nearly four dozen people reported dead in the latest violence.