- Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar says its responses to Indian attacks have shown “restraint”, but that the country deserves a larger retaliation at a place, time and “manner of its choosing”.
- Pakistan’s military says it has downed 25 Indian drones over its territory, while India says it thwarted a Pakistani drone and missile attack on its military.
- Heavy exchanges of artillery fire have been reported along the Line of Control dividing Indian and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
- India says at least 13 people have been killed and more wounded in Indian-administered Kashmir due to Pakistani fire.
- India says “Operation Sindoor” targeted “terrorist” infrastructure; Pakistan says missiles hit mosques and killed civilians in a blatant “act of war”.
- Tensions have been escalating between the two nuclear-armed countries since a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22, which India blamed on Pakistan. Pakistan has denied any involvement.
India intercepted drones, attacks in Jammu, according to media reports
There’s currently a complete electricity blackout in the Hindu-majority region of Jammu and Kashmir, says journalist Umar Meraj.
“The Indian news outlets are reporting that they have intercepted drones and attacks on several locations in Jammu,” Meraj told Al Jazeera, speaking from Srinigar, in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Sirens are being heard in Jammu and several villages near the Line of Control, Meraj added.
“The clashes between the India and Pakistan forces are far more intense than in previous years. What used to be occasional small firearms have escalated to the heavy exchange of artillery,” the journalist explained.
Pakistani drones target Indian-administered Kashmir: Report
There have been attacks in Akhnoor, Samba, Kathua and multiple other locations in Jammu in Indian-administered Kashmir, Reuters reports, citing an unnamed Indian official.
Reuters is also citing Indian military sources as saying that a likely drone attack launched by Pakistan has targeted the area around Jammu Airport in Kashmir.
We will bring you more information as we get it.
Pakistan’s Punjab province to close all schools for two days: Report
Pakistan’s Punjab government has announced the closure of all public and private schools across the province on tomorrow and Saturday, according to a memo issued by Secretary School Education Khalid Nazir Wattoo, Pakistani outlet Dawn reported.
“However, examinations scheduled by/on behalf of International Examining bodies [O Level and A Level] shall continue as scheduled,” Dawn cited the memo as stating.
The British Council Pakistan had earlier cancelled many exams – including the GCE, IGCSE, IELTS and University of London exams scheduled for today in Lahore “due to the developing situation”, Dawn reported.
Twenty-nine drones have been neutralised by the Pakistani army: Military spokesperson
Pakistan’s military spokesman Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has released a statement in which he said:
- India needs to cut out the “drama” and “war hysteria”.
- When Pakistan will strike back, “the whole world will come to know” – we are not dependent on India’s media to report on it.
- Twenty-nine drones have been neutralised by the Pakistani army.
- Pakistanis have been going about their lives as normal. Though the drone attacks are meant to instil fear in the population, Pakistanis are not scared.
Suspension of Indus Water Treaty poses serious energy security risk for Pakistan
Analysts have said the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), which regulates three eastern rivers – Ravi, Sutlej and Beas, poses a serious energy security risk for Pakistan.
Oslo-based think tank Rystad Energy said Pakistan sees 90 percent of its total hydropower capacity disrupted due to altered water flows from India.
“If the treaty were to be terminated altogether, India would gain full control of the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab rivers, enabling it to build more hydropower projects and potentially operate existing upstream facilities in ways that could adversely affect its downstream neighbour,” analyst Uttamarani Pati said in an email sent to Al Jazeera.
“While India is less reliant on hydropower, further escalation could still put its energy infrastructure at risk.”
India and Pakistan nuclear stockpile a defensive move
Security analyst Syed Mohammed Ali says the nuclear weapons possessed by India and Pakistan “create a scenario for mutually assured destruction”.
“Pakistan and India have enough nuclear weapons to wipe the other side out several times over,” Ali, who is based in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, told The AP news agency.
Both countries have “deliberately developed” the size and range of their stockpile to remind the other about the guarantee of mutually assured destruction, he adds.
The arsenals are a defensive move to prevent and deter further fighting, because “neither side can afford to initiate such a war or hope to achieve anything from it,” Ali says.
Pakistan’s Punjab province to close all schools for two days: Report
Pakistan’s Punjab government has announced the closure of all public and private schools across the province on tomorrow and Saturday, according to a memo issued by Secretary School Education Khalid Nazir Wattoo, Pakistani outlet Dawn reported.
“However, examinations scheduled by/on behalf of International Examining bodies [O Level and A Level] shall continue as scheduled,” Dawn cited the memo as stating.
The British Council Pakistan had earlier cancelled many exams – including the GCE, IGCSE, IELTS and University of London exams scheduled for today in Lahore “due to the developing situation”, Dawn reported.
Next hours ‘critical’ amid serious escalation risks
The crisis between India and Pakistan appears to be “at a crossroads,” Washington-based South Asia analyst Michael Kugelman has told Al Jazeera.
“India has said it has no intention of further military action, unless it is attacked by Pakistan. For now, Pakistan has vowed retaliation for the initial Indian air strikes but it has also said it wants de-escalation,” he said.
“Amid reports of missile and drone attacks, Pakistan’s vow to respond may sharpen,” he continued. “We’ve gone beyond the strike, counterstrike, de-escalation pattern that has marked the most recent crises.”
Additional action by either side would send “escalation risks through the roof”. “So the next few hours will be critical,” Kugelman said.
More from Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar
- Pakistan’s armed forces downed Indian fighter jets; UAVs, with much “bravery”.
- India’s claim it attacked Pakistan’s military installations “is a big lie”.
- India’s claims that Pakistan launched overnight attacks is a “concocted story”.
- My fellow countrymen and women, there’s no need to worry. Your country’s armed forces “are fully alert”.
- Tomorrow, we have a national security meeting and we will respond to India’s attacks.
Is a drone war emerging between India and Pakistan?
Pakistan’s military said on Thursday morning that the country’s air defence system had brought down 25 Indian drones overnight over some of the country’s chief cities, including Lahore and Karachi. At least one civilian has died, and five people were wounded, it said.
India’s Defence Ministry confirmed hours later that it had targeted Pakistan’s air defence radars and claimed it was able to “neutralize” one defence system in Lahore. It said Pakistan had attempted to attack India and Indian-administered Kashmir with drones and missiles overnight, but that these had been shot down.
The drone attacks represent the latest escalation between the nuclear-armed neighbours, a day after India launched deadly missile strikes on Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, killing at least 31 people, according to Islamabad. Those were the most extensive Indian strikes on Pakistan outside the four wars they have fought. Heavy artillery shelling from both sides overnight caused border communities in the disputed Kashmir region to flee.
Read more here.
Pakistan has ‘exercised strategic restraint’ but ‘deserves to respond’: Foreign minister
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is currently holding a briefing. Here’s what he said:
- Pakistan “categorically denies” any actions that would impact the civilian population in India. “We deeply empathise with civilians,” Dar said.
- Several armed Indian drones violated Pakistani airspace, while New Delhi also made attempts to attack military installations.
- Pakistan has so far “exercised strategic restraint” and limited its response strictly for self-defence in accordance with international law and the UN charter.
- “Pakistan deserves to respond to India at a place, time and manner of its choosing,” said Dar.
Pahalgam was a ‘false flag’ attack to obtain IWT change, minister says
Pakistan’s former minister for water and power has said the attack in Pahalgam on April 22 was a “false flag” by India, allowing New Delhi to withdraw its involvement in the Indus Water Treaty, among other measures.
The IWT is a transboundary water agreement that allows the two countries to share water flowing from the Indus basin.
Musadiq Malik, currently Pakistan’s minister for climate change and environmental coordination, told Al Jazeera that India was “trying to achieve legal changes”.
“They ended up doing [this] by saying we’re not bound by it,” he said. “If they’re not bound by it, other countries aren’t bound by it either.”
Last month, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also called the Pahalgam attack a “false flag” without offering any evidence to back up his claims.
Pakistan PM says territorial integrity defended at ‘all costs’ in call with US’s Rubio
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity will be defended “at all costs” in a phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Rubio emphasised the need for India and Pakistan to work closely to de-escalate the situation, the Pakistani government said in a statement.
The US official also noted that Washington was closely monitoring the situation and was committed to promoting peace and stability in the region.
What happened during the Pahalgam attack?
India’s military operation in Pakistan came two weeks after a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam area, which killed 26 people.
India blamed Islamabad for the attack – a charge Pakistan strongly denies. Here is a brief summary of how the attack unfolded:
- At about 2:45pm (09:15 GMT) on April 22, armed men in camouflage clothes emerged from a nearby forest in the famous resort town.
- The attackers opened indiscriminate fire at Baisaran meadow, a scenic uphill area accessible only by foot or pony rides, and caught victims, mostly tourists, off guard, according to officials.
- At least 25 Indian nationals and one Nepalese citizen were killed – the deadliest such attack in a quarter-century in Indian-administered Kashmir.
- The attack also unfolded as US Vice President JD Vance was on a five-day India trip.
Pakistan aviation suspends operations at Karachi airport
Pakistan’s aviation authority has said it would suspend all flights at Karachi airport until 12am local time [19:00 GMT].
It said all activity would be suspended for “operational reasons”.
‘No panic here’: Pakistan’s Rawalpindi city calm amid heightened security
Pakistan said at least three drones were intercepted in Rawalpindi, a city that lies adjacent to the capital, Islamabad.
Despite the incidents, residents say there is no panic in the city and everything is going along as normal. One person is reported to have been wounded in the alleged attack.
“Despite what happened, life is going along as normal in Rawalpindi,” Arooj Fatima, a resident, told Al Jazeera.
“There is no panic here. In fact, a lot of people here do not realise what an escalation of events could cause and are urging the Pakistan army to attack India. People do not know what could happen, but while there is apprehension, there is no fear or panic.”
The road near the stadium where one drone reportedly hit has been blocked off by security officials.
India directs media platforms to suspend Pakistan-based media content
Citing the deadly Pahalgam attacks last month, India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has advised “all OTT platforms, media streaming platforms and intermediaries” operating in the country to “discontinue the web-series, films, songs, podcasts and other streaming media content, whether made available on a subscription based model or otherwise, having its origins in Pakistan with immediate effect”.
India to put forward position on Pakistan’s loans at next IMF board meet
India’s executive director at the International Monetary Fund will put forward the country’s position at a board meeting on Friday, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri says.
His comments came in response to a reporter’s question on New Delhi asking for a review of loans to Pakistan.
Pakistan’s defence minister says ‘hardly any space left to de-escalate’
Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has told Reuters there was “hardly any space left to de-escalate” as the conflict is “entering a blind alley”.
Asif said the US was leading de-escalation efforts but that India’s drone attacks made Pakistan’s response “increasingly certain”.
The minister said Pakistan would target India’s military installations in retaliation.
Pakistan is violating Indus Water Treaty, Indian foreign secretary says
Vikram Misri said in his special briefing on the tensions between India and Pakistan that Islamabad was “the one acting in violation of the Indus Water Treaty”, which India suspended following the attack in Pahalgam.
The foreign secretary accused Pakistan of creating roadblocks to prevent India from exercising its right to carry out projects on the western rivers.
He stressed that Pakistan’s claim that a dam was hit by India in an attack was a “blatant lie”.
Information war: Are India and Pakistan telling the truth about attacks?
Competing news briefings. Divergent claims. And conflicting narratives.
As Indian attacks on Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir early on May 7 pulled the nuclear-armed neighbours to the brink of a potential military conflict, a parallel war quickly broke out – over information.
Within hours of the Indian strikes, authorities on both sides continue to put out claims and counterclaims that have been amplified on social media as each country tries to control the narrative in its favour.
Five Indian jets were downed, Pakistan said, for instance. India has yet to respond to the claim; Indian officials who requested anonymity said three jets had crashed in Indian-administered Kashmir but did not confirm whether they were Indian or Pakistani planes.
Read our explainer here.
