Pakistan Launches Multiple Attacks Along India's Western Border, India Says

 

Pakistan's armed forces reportedly launched multiple attacks" involving drones and other munitions along India's entire western border on Thursday night and early Friday, according to the Indian army. The escalation comes amid ongoing tensions and recent clashes between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

The recent uptick in conflict was triggered after India carried out strikes in Pakistan on Wednesday, targeting what it described as "terrorist camps" in retaliation for a deadly attack on Hindu tourists in Indian Kashmir last month. Pakistan denied involvement in that attack, but both countries have exchanged cross-border fire, shelling, and drones, resulting in nearly four dozen casualties.

This escalation marks the deadliest border conflict since the limited Kargil conflict in 1999. Significantly, it also involves Indian military operations targeting locations within Pakistan's mainland provinces outside of Kashmir—an action not seen since their full-scale war in 1971.

The Indian army stated that Pakistani troops had violated the ceasefire multiple times along the de facto border in Kashmir, a region both countries claim in full but which is divided between them. The army emphasized that the drone attacks were "effectively repulsed" and that the response to ceasefire violations was firm, with all "nefarious designs" to be met with "force."

Pakistan's Information Minister, Attaullah Tarar, dismissed India's army statement as "baseless and misleading." He insisted that Pakistan had not conducted any "offensive actions" targeting areas within Indian Kashmir or beyond and earlier denied attacking locations such as Pathankot, Srinagar, and Jaisalmer, calling those accusations "unfounded" and "politically motivated."

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Sirens in Amritsar

On Thursday night, a "major infiltration bid" was reportedly foiled in Kashmir's Samba region, according to India's Border Security Force. Heavy shelling continued in the Uri area on Friday, with reports of houses catching fire, one woman killed, and three injured. 

In the Indian border city of Amritsar, sirens blared for over two hours on Friday, causing residents to seek shelter indoors amid the heightened alert. Tourism also declined sharply as many tourists, scared by the violence, evacuated the city. A British national staying in Amritsar noted that the loud sounds, sirens, and blackouts caused sleepless nights, prompting their departure.

Other border regions, including Bhuj in Gujarat and Rajasthan’s Bikaner, took precautionary measures importantly closing schools and coaches, with residents near the border advised to move further away or stay with relatives.

In Jammu, students reported hearing loud blasts overnight, with one describing the explosions as "more violent and louder," and windows shaking during the blasts.

International Response and Historical Context

Global powers, from the U.S. to China, have called on India and Pakistan to de-escalate tensions. U.S. Vice President JD Vance emphasized the importance of quick de-escalation, though he acknowledged that "we can't control these countries."

This longstanding hostility is rooted in the status of Kashmir, a Muslim-majority region at the heart of their conflicts since both nations gained independence from Britain in 1947. India and Pakistan have fought three wars over Kashmir, with two of those centered entirely on control of the region. The recent violence underscores the fragile, volatile nature of their relationship and the ongoing challenge of maintaining peace in the region.