By Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam, Shivam Patel, Charlotte Greenfield, and Aftab Ahmed
ISLAMABAD/JAMMU, India (WORLD NEWS) – Pakistan and India engaged in mutual attacks targeting each other’s military bases on Saturday. This led to the United States urging both nations, which possess nuclear weapons, to initiate discussions aimed at easing tensions as this confrontation represents the fiercest hostility between them since 1999.
Fears that the countries’ nuclear arsenals might come into play spiked when the Pakistan military said a top military and civil body overseeing its nuclear weapons would meet, but the defence minister later said no such meeting was scheduled.
Representatives from each side demonstrated a readiness at present to retreat slightly after the day’s interactions.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Muhammad Ishaq Dawood, stated on local TV that should India cease its actions, Pakistan would also “consider stopping here.”
The Indian military stated about Pakistan’s military assaults on Saturday that “every hostile action has been successfully thwarted and adequately addressed.”
Experts and diplomatic officials have consistently worried that tensions between these adversaries might intensify to the point of involving nuclear warfare, making it one of the most perilous and densely inhabited potential hotspots for nuclear confrontation globally. In contrast to India’s policies, Pakistan has not adopted a stance against being the first to employ nuclear arms in such a scenario.
The Pakistan Defense Minister, Khawaja Asif, downplayed any imminent nuclear threats, describing them as a “highly unlikely scenario.”
“We shouldn’t even consider this at present,” he said to ARY TV. “By the time we reach that stage, I believe tensions will have eased. There hasn’t been any gathering of the National Command Authority yet, and none is planned.”
Pakistan’s information minister did not respond to a request for comment and the military said it had no immediate comment.
The U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacted Pakistan’s Army Chief General Asim Munir and India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Saturday. He urged them both to reduce tensions and “resume direct dialogue to prevent misjudgments.”
“India’s approach has consistently been thoughtful and accountable, and it continues to be so,” Jaishankar stated on X following his conversation with Rubio.
Indian Wing Commander Vyomika Singh told a press conference India was responding to moves by Pakistani forces but would show restraint if Pakistan did so as well.
“The Pakistan military has been observed to be moving their troops into forward areas, indicating offensive intent to further escalate the situation,” she said.
The Indian armed forces continue to maintain a high level of operational preparedness. They reaffirm their dedication to avoiding escalation, as long as the Pakistani military also commits to de-escalation.
STRIKES, COUNTER-STRIKES
With tensions still running high, people throughout Pakistan and India have been hurriedly buying up groceries and vital provisions, while those residing close to the frontier have evacuated for more secure locations. In New Delhi, which lies approximately 650 kilometers (400 miles) away from the borderline, local officials have set up alarms in tall residential complexes.
Pakistan reported early Saturday that it had struck several locations within India, including an area where missiles are stored in northern India, as retaliation for previous assaults carried out by the Indian military forces.
India stated that only minimal harm was inflicted upon both their facilities and staff across four airforce installations. The armed forces reported multiple rapid-fire missile strikes targeting airstrips within Punjab state, indicating that India has also retaliated against these assaults.
The police reported that five civilians lost their lives during the assaults in the Jammu area of Indian-administered Kashmir. Both Hindu-dominated India and Muslim-majority Pakistan assert complete sovereignty over Kashmir, though they control different sections of it.
Explosions echoed throughout Indian Kashmir and the neighboring Punjab region, particularly around the Sikh sacred city of Amritsar, well into Saturday morning. The streets of Jammu remained deserted shortly after intense explosions could be heard and fiery projectiles were observed streaking through the night sky above the city.
“The Jammu city had never experienced such an event before. I never imagined we would face something like this,” stated 60-year-old Rajeev Gupta, whose brother was injured by a projectile.
Pakistan stated that prior to their operation, India had launched missiles at three airbases, with one located near the capital, Islamabad; however, Pakistan’s air defenses managed to intercept the majority of these projectiles.
Engaged in an ongoing conflict over Kashmir, both nations have experienced continuous skirmishes beginning Wednesday after India conducted raids within Pakistan territory, which they referred to as attacks against “terrorist infrastructure.” In response, Pakistan declared its intention to strike back.
Pakistan’s Information Minister stated in an X post that the military operation conducted on Saturday was called “Operation Bunyanun Marsoos.” This phrase originates from the Quran and signifies a strong, unified framework.
India has said its strikes on Wednesday, which started the latest round of clashes that have left more than 50 people dead in both countries, were in retaliation for a deadly attack on Hindu tourists in Indian Kashmir last month.
Pakistan denied India’s accusations that it was involved in the tourist attack. Since Wednesday, the two countries have exchanged cross-border fire and shelling, and sent drones and missiles into each other’s airspace.
Even though there were increasing demands from the West for peace, defense analysts indicated that things appeared to be moving in the opposite direction.
“Operations escalating to the next phase — with unrestricted usage of missiles and drones by both parties,” stated Pravin Sawhoney, a defense writer and ex-Indian Army officer. “Plus, reports indicate that the Pakistani military is advancing its forces. These aren’t positive signs for future developments!”
(Reported by Gibran Peshimam, Charlotte Greenfield, and Saeed Shah in Islamabad, Ariba Shahid in Karachi, Asif Shahzad in Muzaffarabad, Shivam Patel in New Delhi, Aftab Ahmed in Jammu, Fayaz Bukhari in Srinagar, and Saurabh Sharma in Amritsar; Written by Charlotte Greenfield, Gibran Peshimam, and Krishna N. Das; Edited by Cynthia Osterman, Jacqueline Wong, and Edmund Klamann)
