A flare goes up in air over the hill near main town of Poonch district, on May 7, 2025. India said on May 7 it carried out "precision strikes at terrorist camps" inside Pakistan and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, days after it blamed Islamabad for a deadly attack on the Indian side of the contested region. (Photo by Punit PARANJPE / AFP)
Tensions between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan escalated dangerously late Tuesday as India conducted missile strikes on targets within Pakistan, citing a response to terrorist activities. This escalation follows a deadly attack on Indian tourists in Kashmir, raising concerns about a wider conflict with severe consequences.India Strikes Back, Targeting Multiple Locations in PakistanIn a significant intensification of hostilities, the Pakistani military confirmed that India launched missiles at three different sites within Pakistan, including regions in Kashmir and Punjab. One missile reportedly hit the old airport in Muzaffarabad, located in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
The spokesperson for Pakistan’s military condemned the strikes and warned of retaliation, reporting that three civilians were killed and twelve others injured in the attacks.In response, India’s government confirmed it had carried out a “targeted military operation” intended to dismantle terrorist infrastructure in both Pakistani territory and Indian-administered Jammu & Kashmir. The Indian army stated it bombed nine sites, describing them as “terrorist camps” linked to groups involved in recent violence.
The missile exchange follows a brutal attack on April 22 that resulted in the deaths of 26 Indian tourists in the mountainous Bahlgam region of Indian-administered Kashmir. Many others were injured in the assault, which was claimed by a Pakistan-based militant group known as the Teeba Army. This incident, one of the deadliest in recent Kashmiri history, sparked widespread international condemnation and renewed longstanding tensions between India and Pakistan.
A Dangerous Historical Context between India and Pakistan
While India and Pakistan have occasionally exchanged fire across the Line of Control, full-scale military confrontations have been rare in recent years, the last major clash occurring in 2019 amid similar patterns of militant attacks and cross-border retaliations. However, the potential for nuclear conflict now seems more pronounced than ever.Both nations became nuclear powers in 1998 and possess active arsenals. Though their stockpiles are relatively small compared to global superpowers, their close proximity and deep-rooted animosities make South Asia one of the world’s most perilous nuclear flashpoints.Nuclear Doctrines and Strategic UncertaintyIndia follows a no-first-use policy, committing to retaliate only if attacked with nuclear weapons. However, recent hints from Indian defense planners suggest that this stance may adapt in response to evolving security threats.
As missile strikes are met with promises of retaliation and geopolitical rhetoric escalates, the fear of a nuclear confrontation is no longer a distant possibility—it has become an imminent threat. The region finds itself at a crucial crossroads where restraint and diplomacy are desperately needed to prevent a catastrophe.The international community is watching with deep concern, hoping that both Islamabad and New Delhi can de-escalate the situation before the consequences become unimaginable.If cooler heads do not prevail, the Kashmir crisis could ignite what many fear would be the world’s first nuclear war of the 21st century—one that would leave no winners, only victims.
