India announced early Wednesday that it had initiated a military operation against Pakistan, targeting “terrorist infrastructure” in both Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, marking a significant escalation in tensions between the two nations.
The operation was launched in retaliation for the deadly Pahalgam terrorist attack last month, which resulted in the deaths of 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen.
India’s Ministry of Defense stated that the actions were “focused, measured, and non-escalatory,” emphasizing that no Pakistani military facilities were targeted. Nine sites were hit, with explosions reported in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Pakistani officials vowed retaliation, with military spokesperson Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry calling the strikes a “heinous provocation” that would not go unanswered.
Sources from Pakistan’s military indicated that five locations were struck, including areas in both Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Punjab province. The damage assessment revealed that the strikes primarily affected civilians. Kashmir, a longstanding territorial dispute between India and Pakistan, has been a flashpoint for decades, and tensions have risen further following the Pahalgam attack. The recent military actions represent the most significant escalation since the 2019 airstrikes by India in response to a suicide bombing that killed 40 Indian paramilitary personnel. India accuses Pakistan of being involved in the Pahalgam attack, a claim that Islamabad denies, though Pakistan has proposed a neutral investigation.
