On Wednesday, the 7th of May, India attacked Pakistan and Pakistan’s Kashmir region, in an “Operation Sindoor”, and Pakistan said it had shot down five Indian fighter jets in the heaviest clash between the nuclear-armed enemies in more than two decades, according to Reuters.
India said it had struck nine Pakistani “terrorist infrastructure” sites, some of them allegedly linked to an attack by Islamist militants on Hindu tourists that killed 26 people in Indian Kashmir last month.
India had earlier said that two of the three suspects in the attack were Pakistani nationals, but did not provide further evidence. Pakistan has denied any involvement in the killings.The Indian armed forces attacked the bases of militant groups, carefully selecting targets, the Indian defence ministry said.The strikes targeted “terrorist camps” that served as recruitment centres, launch pads and indoctrination centres, and contained weapons and training facilities, officials said.
Following the Indian strikes, the Indian army said on Wednesday in a post on X: “Justice has been served.”
Pakistani officials said India’s claim that it was targeting “terrorist camps is false” and that two mosques were among the sites hit by Indian missiles. A Pakistani army spokesman said at least 26 civilians had been killed and 46 wounded.
Pakistan claimed to have shot down five Indian aircraft, although India has not confirmed this. Local sources in Indian Kashmir said three Indian planes crashed and the pilots were reportedly taken to hospital.
Pakistan called the attack a “blatant act of war” and said it had informed the UN Security Council that it reserved the right to respond appropriately to Indian aggression.
Pakistan’s military spokesman Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said it had intervened defensively. “Pakistan remains a very responsible country. However, we will take all necessary measures to defend Pakistan’s honour, integrity and sovereignty at all costs,” he added.
The South Asian neighbours also exchanged intense gunfire across most of their de facto border in the Himalayan region of Kashmir, police and eyewitnesses told Reuters.
Pakistani army shelling across the Kashmir border killed seven civilians and injured 35 residents of the Indian sector, police in the region said.
Indian television channels showed videos of explosions, fires, heavy smoke in the night sky and people fleeing at several locations in Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir.
Since 1947, Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan have twice fought a war over Kashmir, a region both countries claim but only partially control.
India and Pakistan have rarely attacked since a ceasefire in 2003. But the recent strong Indian offensive, known as Operation Sindoor, has raised fears of an escalation.
US President Trump called the fighting a “shame” and added: “I hope it ends quickly.” Other leaders, including neighbouring China, also called on both sides to remain calm and avoid further conflict.
India’s recent strike was far greater than its previous responses to attacks blamed on Pakistan. For example, India’s 2019 air strike on Pakistan after 40 Indian paramilitary policemen were killed in Kashmir and India’s retaliation for the death of 18 soldiers in 2016.
Experts expect Pakistan to react strongly and say India’s next move will show how serious the crisis could become.
India conducts air strikes against Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir
