ISLAMABAD — Pakistan's army said it struck several Indian military sites early Saturday in retaliation for missile strikes on airbases, a significant escalation that moves the two nuclear-armed neighbours closer to all-out war.
Early on Saturday, Pakistan said Indian jets had attacked three of its airbases with missiles, including Noor Air base in Rawalpindi, which holds the army’s headquarters and is located close to the capital Islamabad. Army spokesman Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said in a televised statement that all "air force assets" were safe.
Pakistan's army said later that it had hit Indian airbases and other military sites in Punjab state and the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir region. India's army said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that it repelled multiple drone attacks from Pakistan, including at Khasa Cantonment in the northern city of Amritsar, the location of an Indian military station.
The tit-for-tat military action, now in its fourth day, has brought tensions between the two nations to their most dangerous levels in decades. Both sides have been shooting missiles and drones over densely populated cities, prompting the United States and other countries to seek a diplomatic solution and prevent a full-scale war between nations holding about a fifth of the global population.
Damaged vehicles are seen in the neighbourhood, following Pakistan's military operation against India, in Rehari, Jammu, on Saturday. (Photo: Reuters)
Pakistan local media reported Saturday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had called a meeting of the National Command Authority, which takes decisions on nuclear weapons. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar did not confirm the meeting when asked about it on Geo TV on Saturday, only saying that "in a state of war, we have all the options."
"We hope India will now choose dialogue over escalation," Ahsan Iqbal, Pakistan's planning minister, said in a statement posted on the ministry’s X account. He added that Pakistan does not wish to see the no-first-use nuclear doctrine unravel.
Pakistan closed its airspace for all flights until noon Saturday. India also announced the closure of 32 airports in the northern and western parts of the country, and suspended 25 air route segments, until May 15.
A paramilitary trooper mans a gun atop a vehicle as he keeps guard during a media tour of the Karachi Port, Pakistan, on Friday. (Photo: Reuters)
Indian local media on Saturday reported shelling in Srinagar, the capital city of India’s Jammu and Kashmir region. Omar Abdullah, the chief minister of the region, said on X that an administration official was killed in Rajouri town in the strikes. Pakistan has called its military campaign Operation Bunyan Un Marsoos, or Operation Molten Lead.
Tensions between the countries erupted on April 22, when suspected militant gunmen in India’s Jammu and Kashmir region killed 26 civilians, mainly Hindu tourists. India called the attack an act of terrorism and accused Pakistan of involvement, allegations Islamabad has denied.
This week the situation escalated dramatically when India carried out a operation against what it described as terrorist camps inside Pakistan. The strikes on nine targets, which Pakistan's army said killed 31 civilians, were the deepest breach of Pakistani territory by India since the 1971 war.
The US, as well as officials from Iran, Japan and Saudi Arabia, have urged restraint on both sides. On Saturday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a phone call with Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir in a bid to de-escalate tensions.
"He continued to urge both parties to find ways to de-escalate and offered US assistance in starting constructive talks in order to avoid future conflict," spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Friday said President Donald Trump has "good relationships with the leaders of both countries" and that Rubio "has been in constant communication" with them as well.
Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) called for restraint on both sides, saying in a statement that "further military escalation poses a serious threat to regional stability."
"We call for immediate de-escalation and encourage both countries to engage in direct dialogue towards a peaceful outcome," it said. "We continue to monitor events closely and express our support for a swift and lasting diplomatic resolution."
Pakistan and India have clashed several times over the disputed region of Kashmir since independence from Britain in 1947. The last time the two nations came close to an all-out war was in 2019, after a suicide bomber killed 40 members of India’s security forces. India blamed Pakistan and responded about two weeks later with its first airstrikes on Pakistani soil since 1971. Pakistan retaliated by shooting down an Indian jet and arresting the pilot, who was later released. Tensions died down soon afterward.
Demonstrators burn an India national flag and photos of Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, during a protest, in response to India's military strikes against Pakistan, in Karachi, Pakistan, on Wednesday. (Photo: Bloomberg)