NEW DELHI: Tensions between South Asia’s nuclear-armed neighbours reached a boiling point on Wednesday, as India is on high alert and braced itself for retaliatory action from Pakistan after a series of cross-border air strikes that Islamabad has termed an “act of war.”
The dramatic escalation began late Tuesday night and continued into the early hours of Wednesday, when Indian forces launched air and missile strikes on multiple civilian locations inside Pakistan.
Pakistani authorities said that the Indian “unprovoked air strikes” hit civilian areas, killing 26 people, including women and children, and injuring at least 46 others.
The air strikes have heightened fears in India of Pakistan’s retaliatory measures.
According to Indian media reports, airspace over northern and western India has been closed to commercial flights, with more than 200 flights cancelled and at least 18 airports shut.
No commercial aircraft are currently operating in the region near the Pakistan border, Indian media reported.
The move reflects growing anticipation within Indian security and political circles of a calibrated military response from Pakistan.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif convened an emergency meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) on Wednesday, where the country’s top civil and military leadership authorised the armed forces to undertake “corresponding actions” in defence of the nation.
“This is a grave act of aggression which will not go unanswered. Pakistan reserves the right to respond in a manner and time of its own choosing,” said a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office after the NSC meeting.
The Indian Chargé d’Affaires was summoned to Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday to receive Pakistan’s strong protest over the unprovoked Indian strikes at multiple locations across Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
The Indian envoy was also handed over a demarche by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Indian military action comes two weeks after a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, where 26 people were killed.
India swiftly blamed Pakistan for orchestrating the attack. Pakistan condemned the attack and strongly denied India’s “baseless allegations”.
Pakistan also offered an independent, neutral and transparent international investigation into the Pahalgam incident. However, New Delhi did not respond to Pakistan’s offer and continued with its aggressive posture.
Security analysts note that this latest escalation is the most serious confrontation between the two rivals since the Balakot airstrikes in 2019.
The timing of the Indian strikes has also raised questions internationally, with analysts suggesting domestic political calculations in New Delhi may have influenced the aggressive posture.
In response to the Indian strikes, Pakistan’s armed forces quickly moved and shot down five Indian fighter jets, destroyed an Indian brigade headquarters and Indian army posts across the Line of Control (LoC).
The Pakistan Air Force and Army remain on high alert, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.
