Pakistan and India traded accusations yesterday over ongoing border clashes that have continued for three days, leaving around 50 civilians dead on both sides.
Repeated calls from foreign capitals for calm have so far failed to de-escalate the situation.
Since India launched strikes on Pakistani territory on Wednesday in retaliation for an April 22 attack in Indian Kashmir, both sides have exchanged rocket fire, artillery shelling, and drone attacks.
India accuses Pakistan of supporting a terrorist group suspected of carrying out the attack in the tourist town of Pahalgam, which killed 26 people. Islamabad strongly denies any involvement in the incident.
Pakistan quickly retaliated against the Indian strikes in what has become the most intense military standoff between the two countries in more than two decades.
Yesterday evening, for the second night in a row, Pakistan carried out a new drone strike on the Indian-administered side of Kashmir, according to a source in India’s Defence Ministry. The attack targeted the cities of Jammu and Samba in the disputed region, as well as Pathankot in neighbouring Punjab state. The source added that Indian air defences responded to the attack.
Omar Abdullah, the head of the regional government, said on X that he heard “sporadic explosions” in Jammu, where he resides, noting that the city was plunged into darkness.
Yesterday morning, India reported “several drone attacks” and Pakistani gunfire overnight “along the border.” The Indian military said it “responded proportionately” to the drone attacks.
Lieutenant Colonel Foumika Singh stated that Pakistan “attempted drone incursions at 36 locations with around 300 to 400 drones.”
Meanwhile, the Pakistani army claimed it had shot down 77 drones launched by India since Wednesday night. These claims could not be independently verified, especially as access to many of the affected areas is restricted.
The Indian military official confirmed “casualties and injuries” on both sides but provided no further details.
The International Crisis Group warned of the “risk of escalation” driven by “aggressive rhetoric and an extreme logic of escalation” from both countries.
The Pakistani army stated yesterday that it would “not move towards de-escalation” with India, accusing New Delhi of “bringing two nuclear-armed states to the brink of a major conflict.”
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said earlier that India was “not seeking” a new escalation but vowed a “very firm response” to any new attack.
As senior leaders on both sides continue issuing threats, local residents are burying their dead and preparing for the worst.
Tens of millions of children have been kept from attending school, as all schools in Indian-administered Kashmir and border areas of Punjab and Rajasthan have been closed. On the Pakistani side, schools will remain closed until Monday in Pakistani-administered Kashmir, Punjab, and Islamabad.
Twenty-four airports in northwest India have also been shut down for security reasons.
With the attacks ongoing, calls for calm and restraint have mounted.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy urged his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar during a phone call to “exercise restraint and move towards de-escalation,” according to Dar’s office.
US Vice President JD Vance also called for de-escalation on Thursday, saying in an interview with Fox News: “We will not get involved in a war that has nothing to do with us.”
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi continued his mediation efforts, moving from Islamabad to New Delhi on Thursday. At the end of his visit, he stated that Iran is “ready to do everything it can to help reduce tensions.”
&uuid=(email))