India has fired missiles into Pakistani-administered territory, targeting areas in Kashmir and eastern Punjab, according to Pakistani security officials, in a dramatic escalation of already fraught relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
Officials in Islamabad said multiple sites were hit in the early hours of the morning, including in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and the eastern province of Punjab. At least three locations were struck, with reports confirming the death of a child and injuries to two others.
India’s Ministry of Defence confirmed it had launched what it called Operation Sindoor, saying it struck “terrorist infrastructure” located within Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. A total of nine sites were targeted, the ministry said, claiming the locations were being used to plan and coordinate attacks against India.
The Pakistani military responded swiftly, condemning what it described as an “unprovoked and cowardly act. A spokesman said Pakistan “will respond” to the attacks and vowed retaliation.
Loud explosions were heard across several areas of Pakistan, including around Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani-controlled Kashmir. Eyewitnesses reported power outages in the city following the blasts. The cause of the explosions remains unverified, though Pakistan accused India of deliberately targeting civilian areas under the cover of darkness.
“These were cowardly assaults carried out in the night, clearly targeting innocent Pakistani civilians,” a Pakistani security official said.
Tensions have been mounting since a deadly militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir on 22 April. Gunmen opened fire at a popular tourist spot near Pahalgam, killing at least 26 people—most of them Indian tourists. India described the incident as a terror attack with “cross-border” links and blamed Pakistan for supporting the perpetrators.
Pakistan has denied any involvement in the attack, which was claimed by a previously unknown group calling itself the Kashmir Resistance.
In the aftermath, Pakistan placed its military on high alert. A senior cabinet minister warned that Islamabad had credible intelligence suggesting India was preparing for a military strike.
Speaking to Sky News’ The World with Yalda Hakim, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the international community should be concerned about the threat of a full-scale conflict.
“This situation should worry the entire world,” Asif said. “Two nuclear powers cannot afford a confrontation of this magnitude.”
The international community has yet to officially respond, but calls for restraint are expected to grow as the region stands on the brink of a potential crisis.
