India Launches Strikes on Pakistan After Kashmir Attack, Tensions Surge

India launched targeted missile strikes early Wednesday on sites in Pakistan’s Punjab province and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The move follows a deadly terrorist attack last month in Indian-controlled Kashmir that claimed 26 civilian lives. India holds Pakistan responsible for harboring militants, while Pakistan denies the allegations.

The Indian government claimed the operation, named #OperationSindoor, was aimed solely at terror camps and avoided civilian areas. However, Pakistani officials reported that the strikes killed eight people, including a child, and injured 35 others—some during an attack on a mosque.

In retaliation, Pakistan claimed to have shot down multiple Indian aircraft and a drone, though India has not confirmed these reports. Cross-border shelling has also claimed lives on the Indian side of Kashmir.

Global powers including the United Nations, the U.S., and China have urged both nations to exercise restraint. Meanwhile, both sides brace for potential escalation as Pakistan’s leadership convenes an emergency National Security Committee meeting.

This latest surge in violence underscores the enduring volatility in Kashmir, a heavily militarized and contested region at the heart of decades of India-Pakistan conflict.