Tensions continue to mount as India and Pakistan traded accusations and attacks across their frontier in Kashmir overnight.
New Delhi and Islamabad accused one another on Friday of launching drone attacks as well as “numerous ceasefire violations” over the Line of Control (LoC) in the disputed territory. The ongoing hostilities have provoked further calls for restraint as the risk of an escalation between the two nuclear powers grows.
Pakistan launched “multiple attacks” using drones and other munitions along India’s western border on Thursday night and early Friday, the Indian army said, claiming it had repelled the attacks and responded forcefully, although it did not provide details.
Islamabad has denied any cross-border attacks and instead accused Indian forces of sending drones into Pakistani territory, killing at least two civilians. The Pakistani military claims to have shot down 25 Indian drones in recent days.
Local officials in areas near the Line of Control reported an unusually intense night of artillery exchanges that left at least four civilians dead and wounded 12, with firing continuing well into Friday morning.
Pakistan Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the Indian army statement was “baseless and misleading”, and that Pakistan had not undertaken any “offensive actions” targeting areas within Indian-administered Kashmir or beyond the country’s border.
Islamabad had earlier denied attacking Pathankot city in India’s Punjab state, Srinagar in the Kashmir valley, and Rajasthan state’s Jaisalmer, saying the accusations were “unfounded” and “politically motivated”.
South Asia analyst Michael Kugelman warned that the spread of “disinformation is escalating as rapidly as the hostilities”.
“Both are very dangerous for different reasons. Follow the fact checkers,” he posted on social media, urging the public to rely on verified sources.
‘None of our business’
India launched “Operation Sindoor” on Wednesday targeting what it described as fighter camps inside Pakistan in retaliation for an attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir.
New Delhi has accused Islamabad of backing the perpetrators, an allegation Pakistan strongly denies.
Since then, exchanges of fire, drone activity, and airspace violations have intensified, leaving nearly four dozen people dead, the majority in Pakistan.
The ongoing clashes mark one of the worst escalations between the nuclear-armed rivals in recent years. The pair has fought three full-scale wars over Kashmir, which both claim, since they gained independence from Britain in 1947.
World powers from the United States to China have called on both sides to exercise restraint.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with leaders in both countries on Thursday and urged “immediate de-escalation”, his spokeswoman said.
Vice President JD Vance echoed the call but added that the US would not get involved.
“What we can do is try to encourage these folks to de-escalate a little bit, not going to get involved in the middle of a war that’s fundamentally none of our business,” he told Fox News.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, currently visiting New Delhi, also urged restraint. “We hope that India and Pakistan will prevent the escalation of tension in the region,” he said upon arrival.
China, a close ally of Pakistan, called India’s cross-border strikes “regrettable” and urged both governments to show restraint.
“India and Pakistan are and will always be each other’s neighbours,” the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. “We urge both sides to act in the interest of regional peace and stability and refrain from any actions that could worsen the situation.”
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