By Vatican News
Tensions between nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan escalated dramatically on Wednesday, marking the most serious military clash in over two decades.
According to Indian officials, nine terrorist infrastructure sites linked to the militant groups Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba were targeted in Pakistan’s Punjab province, a move Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri defended as “pre-emptive and precautionary.”
India claims the camps were used for recruitment, indoctrination, and launching operations. Pakistan has rejected the the claim and accused India of committing a “blatant act of war,” asserting that six civilian sites—including mosques— were struck.
Pakistani military officials said five Indian fighter jets were downed in retaliation, a claim not confirmed by New Delhi.
Heavy shelling and gunfire were exchanged across the border and civilian casualties have been reported on both sides—10 dead and 48 injured in Indian Kashmir, and six dead in Pakistani-controlled regions.
The Indian operation, named “Operation Sindoor,” is notable for striking beyond Pakistan-administered Kashmir into densely populated areas of mainland Pakistan, a rare and aggressive escalation not seen since the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
The global community reacted with concern. U.S. President Donald Trump described the violence as “a shame” and called for a swift de-escalation. Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged both sides to maintain open communication channels.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres and leaders from China and Russia also appealed for restraint. With tensions soaring, both nations have invoked their historical grievances and hardened stances over Kashmir, a disputed region that has fueled multiple wars and countless skirmishes since their independence from British rule in 1947. The 2003 ceasefire, reaffirmed in 2021, now hangs by a thread. – Vatican News
