Explosions rang out throughout the Indian city of Jammu late on Thursday during what the government stated was a Pakistan’s drone and missile strike on military stations near by the Kashmir area on the second day of conflicts between the nuclear-capable neighbours, as per Reuters report.
Sirens sounded and red flashes and projectiles exploded in the night sky above Jammu roughly 2-1/2 hours, a Reuters journalist stated, in what emerged to be an escalation in the nations’ worst confrontation in over two decades.
Two days of fighting have eliminated around four dozen individuals.
“Military stations at Jammu, Pathankot & Udhampur were targeted by Pakistani-origin drones and missiles along the international border in J&K today,” Indian Defence Ministry wrote on X, quoting places in and near the federal region of Jammu and Kashmir.
“The threats were swiftly neutralised …. No casualties or material losses were reported.”
India’s TV channels further showed flares and flashes in the sky above Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer city, which touches a border with Sindh, the southern Pakistani province .
In a release, Islamabad rejected striking Pathankot in Indian Punjab state, Srinagar in the Kashmir Valley and Jaisalmer and stated the allegations were “entirely unfounded, politically motivated, and part of a reckless propaganda campaign aimed at maligning Pakistan”.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan stated the nation would counter to any escalation “with full resolve and determination to safeguard Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Electricity in Jammu was slowly being resumed following a blackout during the strike, a Reuters journalist stated.
Eight missiles, launched from Pakistan at the Jammu area towns of Satwari, Samba, Ranbir Singh Pura and Arnia, were intercepted by air defence units, further stated an Indian military source who prefered not to be named , reported by Reuters.
They were part of a larger strike, the source further added.
Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Pakistan’s Defence Minister prior stated additional retaliation was “increasingly certain” following both nations alleged each other of carrying out drone strikes.
Global powers from the United States to Russia and China have urged for calm in one of the world’s most lethal and populated nuclear conflict zones. The United States Consulate General in Pakistan’s Lahore told staff to seek shelter.
Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State urged for de-escalation in distinct calls with India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday, according to the State Department, quoted by Reuters
The relationship between New Delhi and Islamabad has been fraught with tension from they achieved independence from colonial Britain in 1947. The both nations have fought three war, two of them in Kashmir, and clashed multiple times.
The both neighbours, which claim Kashmir in full and rule over areas of it, independently acquired nuclear arms in the 1990s.
In the recent confrontations, India stated it attack nine “terrorist infrastructure” locations in Pakistan on Wednesday in retaliation for what it states was a lethal Pakistan-backed terror attack in Indian Kashmir on April 22.
Islamabad says it was not engaged and rejected that any of the locations hit by India were terrorist bases. It stated it shot down five India’s aircraft on Wednesday, a report the India’s embassy in Beijing refused as “misinformation”.
Pakistani military stated prior on Thursday it shot down 29 drones from India at several sites including the two biggest cities of Karachi and Lahore and Rawalpindi’s garrison city , home to the military’s headquarters.
The India’s defence ministry stated Pakistan attempted to involve a multiple military targets in northern and western India from Wednesday night into Thursday morning and they were “neutralised” by air defence units of India.
In response, Indian forces struck air defence radars and systems at a multiple locations in Pakistan on Thursday, according to the ministry, quoted by Reuters.
Before the close of trading , both nations saw their stocks, bonds and currencies decline, and Pakistani benchmark stock index (.KSE)closed down 5.9%.
According to the Local media report, cited by Reuters panic buying in few cities in Punjab, India which neighboring with Pakistan, as people stockpiled essentials. (Forelines)