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Intensified Clash Over Kashmir: India Attacks Sites Within Pakistani Territory - Intense escalation of Kashmir conflict: India launches strikes against Pakistan targets
The "Game of Thrones" between India and Pakistan is heating up again. Reports from Islamabad have confirmed that India launched attacks on at least six targets within Pakistan. Not only that, but they've also hit cities in Pakistan's Punjab region, such as Bahawalpur and Muridke.
According to Pakistan's reports, the Indian onslaught has resulted in 26 fatalities and 46 injuries, including four innocent children. Meanwhile, in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir, at least eight people were killed, and 29 injured due to Pakistani artillery fire in the city of Poonch, according to local authorities.
The Indian Army claimed that they targeted and destroyed "nine terror camps" in Pakistan, sources of orchestrating attacks against India. They also affirmed that these surgical strikes were precise, not escalatory, and no Pakistani military installations were systems were targeted. They went on to exclaim, "Justice has been served."
In response, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif threatened a "resolute response" to India's audacious attacks. The Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs branded India's actions as "irresponsible," with the potential to plunge the two nuclear-armed countries into a major conflict.
Pakistan's army insists they shot down five Indian combat aircraft in the skirmishes, including three Rafale jets, one MiG-29, and one SU jet. They also claimed to have destroyed an Indian combat drone.
Islamabad alleges that India bombarded a hydroelectric power plant in Pakistani-administered Kashmir, damaging part of the dam. The Neelum Jhelum hydroelectric project was the target of Indian artillery fire, according to a Pakistani military spokesperson.
The escalation has brought air traffic in the region to a halt as Pakistan closed its airspace for almost 48 hours, disrupting both international and domestic flights, according to the Foreign Office.
Tensions between India and Pakistan have been simmering for the past two weeks, with repeated border skirmishes. The latest bout of hostility began with an attack on Indian tourists on April 22, leading to the death of 26 individuals in the Indian-controlled region of Kashmir. India accuses Pakistan of supporting the attacks, a claim Pakistan vehemently denies.
The international community has expressed concern over the deteriorating situation, with UN Secretary-General António Guterres urging both countries to practice maximum military restraint. U.S. President Donald Trump has also shown hope that the tensions will subside. Meanwhile, China and Britain have expressed their readiness to mediate between India and Pakistan if necessary.
The Kashmir conflict has been an ongoing issue since India and Pakistan's independence in 1947, with the region's Muslim-majority population under a Hindu ruler creating complex accessions decisions. The region has served as a catalyst for two wars over its control, and skirmishes at the border have occurred frequently.
- India
- Pakistan
- Kashmir
- Conflict
- Islamabad
- Escalation
- Military
- Punjab
- Children
- Tensions
- International Response
- The persistent conflict in Kashmir, a Muslim-majority region contested by India and Pakistan, has escalated once again, with reports of targeted attacks on installations in each country.
- The recent skirmishes in Punjab, involving the Indian Army and Pakistan's military, have resulted in the death and injury of several children, further highlighting the humanitarian consequences of the escalating conflict.
- Despite India claiming precision and non-escalatory surgical strikes, Islamabad has accused New Delhi of damaging a hydroelectric power plant in Pakistani-administered Kashmir, a claim that could potentially inflame the ongoing conflict further.
- The international community, including UN Secretary-General António Guterres and U.S. President Donald Trump, have called for maximum military restraint, while China and Britain have offered mediation to deescalate the escalating India-Pakistan conflict.
