Tensions between South Asia's two largest neighbors, India and Pakistan, have reached a dangerous level this week after an unprecedented military escalation. India launched a series of air strikes on Pakistani territory and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, while authorities in Islamabad claim to have shot down five Indian aircraft and a drone. The situation has escalated significantly and has caused deep international concern.
India says the attacks were a response to an April massacre in Pahalgam, a tourist area in Indian-administered Kashmir, in which 26 people, mostly Indian tourists, were killed. India has blamed Pakistan for the attack, while Islamabad has denied the charges.
Operation Sindoor: What happened?
In the early hours of Wednesday, India launched Operation Sindoor, striking targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Indian authorities said the strikes targeted nine locations that they said were terrorist infrastructures of the militant groups Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. India insists that no civilians or Pakistani economic or military facilities were hit.
The name "Sindoor", a reference to the red pigment that married Indian women apply to their foreheads, is symbolically linked to the female victims who were left widowed after the attack in Pahalgam.
On the other hand, Pakistan has given a different version, claiming that the attacks caused civilian casualties and damage to mosques. The Pakistani military spokesman said that six locations were hit by 24 strikes.
Pakistan's reaction
Pakistani security officials said they had shot down five Indian aircraft and a drone. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared that the country's Air Force "destroyed the Indian aircraft to pieces."
India has not confirmed the loss of any aircraft. Sharif called the Indian intervention an "act of war" and vowed retaliation after an emergency meeting of the National Security Committee.
Casualty balance
According to Pakistani officials, the death toll in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir has reached 31 people, including children and teenagers, while 57 others have been injured. On the other hand, an Indian defense source reported 12 civilians killed and 57 injured in Indian-administered Kashmir, as a result of shelling by Pakistani forces.
Why is this happening? The history of the Kashmir conflict
Kashmir is a mountainous region located between India, Pakistan, and China. Both countries, India and Pakistan, claim it as their own, making the territory a permanent conflict zone.
India accuses Pakistan of harboring militant groups that carry out attacks across the border, charges that Islamabad denies.
Both countries possess nuclear weapons, which makes any military escalation dangerous not only for the region, but for the entire globe.
International reaction
The United Nations, the United States, China, the United Arab Emirates and Japan have called for restraint and avoidance of an escalating conflict. UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the world cannot afford such a military clash.
Sources: CNN, Agence France-Presse
