Three Dead as India Launches Precision Strikes on Pakistan
India has conducted precision missile strikes against nine targets in Pakistan and Pakistani-administered Kashmir, resulting in at least three deaths including a child, according to Pakistani military sources. The operation, code-named “Sindoor,” marks the most significant military action between the nuclear-armed neighbors since their 2019 standoff, as reported by The Sun.
India’s Ministry of Defence justified the strikes as a direct retaliation for last month’s massacre in Pahalgam, Kashmir, where 26 tourists were killed by gunmen. The coordinated operation specifically targeted infrastructure that India claims has been used to “plan and direct terrorist attacks,” escalating tensions between the two nations to their highest level in years.
Pakistan Vows “Decisive Response” as Regional Powers Call for Restraint
Pakistani military officials swiftly condemned what they termed a “cowardly assault under the cover of night,” pledging to respond “at a time of its choosing.” The missiles struck three locations in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and one site in eastern Punjab province just after midnight, according to Pakistani military statements.
“Power was blacked out in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani Kashmir, according to witnesses,” who also reported hearing “loud explosions and intense artillery shelling as well as jets in the air” along the frontier in Indian Kashmir. These firsthand accounts suggest a possible broader military engagement beyond the announced missile strikes.
US President Donald Trump expressed hope that the conflict “ends very quickly,” indicating American diplomatic concern about the situation while avoiding direct intervention. This restrained approach contrasts with more urgent calls for de-escalation from regional powers increasingly worried about the prospect of full-scale war between nuclear-armed states.
Military Capabilities Enhanced Since 2019 Standoff
Both nations have significantly upgraded their military assets since their 2019 clash, according to Reuters analysis. India has acquired advanced French Rafale fighter jets while Pakistan has countered with China’s J-10 combat aircraft, creating a more evenly matched aerial capability despite India’s overall military advantage.
“Decision makers in both states now have a higher risk appetite for conflict initiation and escalation than prior to 2019,” notes Frank O’Donnell, a South Asia security researcher at the Washington-based Stimson Center. This escalation potential heightens concerns about unintended consequences from even limited military exchanges.
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif had previously warned of the imminent Indian attack, telling international media that his country would “respond in kind” to any military action. “If there is an all-out attack or something like that, then obviously there will be an all-out war,” he stated in an interview with Sky News.
Kashmir Dispute Remains Central to Regional Instability
The current crisis represents the latest flare-up in the decades-long dispute over Kashmir that has repeatedly brought the two countries to the brink of war. Following the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, both nations implemented a series of escalating diplomatic measures, including visa cancellations, border closures, and India’s unprecedented suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty.
“The clash between two nuclear powers is always worrisome,” Pakistan’s Defense Minister acknowledged, highlighting international concerns about the potential for catastrophic escalation. Security analysts note that while both sides have historically shown restraint regarding their nuclear arsenals, the intensifying cycle of retaliation increases the risk of miscalculation.
Civilians in border regions report increasing anxiety as military movements accelerate. “Everyone is worried,” said Muhammad Afzaal, a farmer from northwestern Pakistan quoted by The Washington Post. “We’re so close to the Afghan border that we have seen the impact of war up close before.”
