At least 34 people have been killed as India and Pakistan exchanged heavy artillery fire and airstrikes on Wednesday, marking the most intense military confrontation between the nuclear-armed neighbors in over 20 years.
According to the AFP, the violence, which erupted along the Line of Control — the disputed border in the Kashmir region — followed India’s missile strikes on what it described as “terrorist camps” in Pakistan-administered territory. Pakistan responded with retaliatory shelling and claimed to have shot down five Indian jets.
According to Pakistan’s Defence Ministry, 26 civilians were killed, including four children, in the Indian air raids and border shelling. Meanwhile, Indian officials reported eight deaths and at least 29 injuries from Pakistani fire in the border town of Poonch.
India’s army justified its offensive as a targeted response to the April 22 massacre of 26 Hindu pilgrims in Pahalgam, Kashmir, which it blamed on Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba. “Justice has been served,” a senior Indian military official said, noting the destruction of nine alleged militant sites. “Our response was precise and restrained.”
Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, accused Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using military aggression for political gain. “This is an attempt to boost domestic approval,” Asif told AFP. “But our response has begun, and we won’t delay in settling the score.”
AFP images showed extensive damage to buildings in Muridke, near Lahore, and scenes of wreckage in Wuyan, on the Indian side of Kashmir, where an Indian fighter jet crashed.
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In Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, residents described scenes of chaos as shells hit a mosque and several homes. “We heard the blasts early in the morning. It was terrifying,” one local said.
The international community has voiced growing alarm. The United Nations called for restraint, warning of the catastrophic risks of escalation between two nuclear powers. “The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan,” said Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
U.S. President Donald Trump also urged calm, saying he hoped “this fighting ends very quickly,” while Secretary of State Marco Rubio held calls with security chiefs in both countries. Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, is expected in New Delhi following a visit to Islamabad as Tehran seeks to mediate.
India and Pakistan have fought multiple wars since their separation in 1947. Though tensions frequently flare in the Kashmir region, the current violence has exceeded the scale of India’s 2019 airstrike in Balakot, which followed a suicide bombing that killed 40 Indian paramilitary personnel.
Diplomatic relations have deteriorated rapidly, with both sides exchanging threats and canceling talks. “This heinous act of aggression will not go unpunished,” said Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who convened an emergency meeting of the National Security Committee in Islamabad.
Since April 24, nightly gunfire has rocked border villages, and both countries have reportedly conducted missile tests. Flights over the region have been canceled or rerouted as the crisis deepens.
Rebels in Indian-administered Kashmir have waged an insurgency since 1989, seeking either independence or unification with Pakistan. India has repeatedly accused Islamabad of sponsoring militant groups in the region — a charge Pakistan denies.
Observers warn the current standoff could spiral. “This crisis has already surpassed the intensity of 2019 and poses serious risks to regional stability,” said Praveen Donthi, a South Asia analyst at the International Crisis Group.