India and Pakistan early Saturday exchanged some of the heaviest airstrikes since their armed confrontation began on Wednesday, prompting further calls for deescalation between the two nuclear-armed states.
Pakistan said it began a counterattack after Indian jets struck three of its airbases with missiles, including Noor Airbase in Rawalpindi, which houses the army’s headquarters and is located close to the capital Islamabad, Bloomberg reported. The Pakistan army said it retaliated by hitting Indian airbases and other military sites in Punjab state and the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir region.
India’s army in a post on X accused Pakistan of “blatant escalation with drone strikes and other munitions” along the country’s western borders saying that the army “will thwart enemy designs.”
India had accused Pakistan of harboring terrorist groups that carried out a deadly attack on tourists last month in India-controlled Kashmir. Pakistan has denied involvement.
The two countries have fought a series of wars since gaining their independence from Britain in 1947, largely over the Kashmir region, to which both sides lay claim.
Since the terrorist attack last month, writes the New York Times, the crisis has spiralled into the most expansive confrontation between the two countries in half a century, with fierce fighting along sections of their border and drone attacks and other strikes hitting deeper within each country.
The escalating confrontation has raised fears of an all-out war between the two nuclear-armed nations. India is estimated to have 180 nuclear warheads and Pakistan 170. India’s nuclear doctrine states that it “has a posture of ‘No First Use’ nuclear weapons,” although in more recent years it cast ambiguity over this doctrine. Pakistan has not declared a no first use policy.
This scenario has prompted alarm across the globe and diplomatic efforts are underway to defuse the crisis. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and other countries with strong ties to both India and Pakistan reportedly are trying to stop the conflict.
The EU said in a statement on Thursday that it “will work with all parties to deescalate the situation.” The G7 foreign ministers issued a similar call on Saturday when they urged “maximum restraint” on both sides.
Also Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and “offered U.S. assistance in starting constructive talks in order to avoid future conflicts,” the State Department said.
Officials from both sides showed a willingness for now to take a step back following the day’s exchanges, Reuters reported.
After the call with Rubio, India’s Jaishankar said on X that “India’s approach has always been measured and responsible and remains so.” Pakistan’s foreign minister told local television that if India stops here, then “we will consider to stop here.”
The post India-Pakistan conflict escalates closer to full-scale war appeared first on Politico.
