Nations India and Pakistan edge towards all-out conflict.
Escalating Tensions: India-Pakistan's Border Conflict Heats Up
It's chaos on the border between India and Pakistan as military action continues to unfold. The recent tit-for-tat attacks mark the most dangerous escalation between these nuclear-armed neighbors in years.
Early Saturday, Pakistan claimed Indian jets launched missiles on three of their airbases, including the Noor Airbase in Rawalpindi housing the army's headquarters, and the capital Islamabad. According to Pakistan's army spokesman Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, their air force assets are safe.
Pakistan later retaliated by striking Indian airbases and military sites in Punjab state and the Indian-controlled Kashmir region. India, in turn, reported warding off multiple drone attacks from the Pakistani side, like the one at Khasa Cantonment in Amritsar, where an Indian military station is located.
The back-and-forth military action, now four days strong, has pushed tensions between the two nations to their highest in decades. Given their enormous populations, the potential for a full-scale war is deeply concerning. The United States and other nations are urging diplomatic solutions to prevent further conflict.
On the Pakistani side, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called a meeting of the National Command Authority, which handles nuclear weapons, although this was not officially confirmed by his deputy, Ishaq Dar. Ahsan Iqbal, Pakistan's planning minister, expressed hope that India will choose dialogue over escalation, stating they have no intention of undermining their no-first-use nuclear doctrine.
Air travel has been disrupted, with Pakistan closing its airspace for all flights until noon Saturday and India closing 32 airports in the northern and western parts of the country, as well as suspending 25 air route segments, until May 15. Cities on both sides have seen missile and drone attacks, putting civilians at risk.
Meanwhile, in India, there have been reports of shelling in Srinagar, the capital city of Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistani forces have named their military campaign Operation Bunyan Un Marsoos, or Operation Molten Lead.
The current tensions between the two countries erupted on April 22, 2025, when suspected militant gunmen in India's Jammu and Kashmir region killed 26 civilians, mostly Hindu tourists. India labeled it an act of terrorism and implicated Pakistan, while Pakistan denied any involvement.
Matters escalated dramatically on April 23 when India alleged targeting terrorist camps inside Pakistan through Operation Sindoor, resulting in the deaths of 31 civilians according to Pakistan's army. This breach of Pakistan's territory marked the deepest invasion by India since the 1971 war.
International authorities, including the US, officials from Iran, Japan, and Saudi Arabia, have been urging both countries to exercise restraint. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a phone call with Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir, pleading for de-escalation and offering US assistance in starting constructive talks to avoid further conflict.
India and Pakistan have a long history of clashes over the disputed region of Kashmir since their independence from Britain in 1947. However, there are no specific details available on military escalations or significant diplomatic efforts between the two nations between April 2023 and the recent events in 2025.
General news and politics have been abuzz with escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, marked by recent airstrikes and military action. Islamabad and other airbases in Pakistan have reported missile attacks from Indian jets, responses to which pose serious concerns given the nuclear-armed neighbors' doctrines and potential for war-and-conflicts. Simultaneously, India's airforce has been under repeated drone attacks from the Pakistani side, which have disrupted air travel in several regions. The international community, including the Unites States, offers diplomatic solutions to curb the escalating conflict and uphold crime-and-justice for civilians at risk. These escalations continue to erupt from the longstanding disagreement over the disputed region of Kashmir, dating back to the countries' independence in 1947.
