Pakistan retaliates against India in spiralling conflict
Pakistan on Saturday launched counterattacks against India after three of its air bases were struck overnight, as the conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours spiralled toward full-blown war.
The South Asian countries have exchanged fire since Wednesday, when India carried out air strikes on sites in Pakistani territory over a deadly attack on tourists on the Indian side of the divided Kashmir region.
The clashes -- which have involved missiles, drones, and exchanges of fire along the de-facto border in disputed Kashmir -- are the worst in decades and have killed more than 50 civilians.
World leaders including the G7 group of industrialised nations have called for restraint, and the United States on Saturday offered help to get both sides talking as the violence intensified.
The Indian army on Saturday reported fresh Pakistani attacks along their shared border.
"Pakistan's blatant escalation with drone strikes and other munitions continues along our western border," the army said on X.
AFP journalists reported loud explosions in Srinagar, the capital of India-administered Kashmir.
The army said "multiple enemy drones were spotted flying over" a military cantonment in Amritsar in Punjab, a state adjoining Kashmir, and were "instantly engaged and destroyed by our air defence units."
Hours ahead of Pakistan's latest operation, the country's military spokesman Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry had accused India of having "attacked with missiles" targeting three air bases.
In the live broadcast aired by state television in the middle of the night, he said a "majority of the missiles" had been intercepted and "no flying assets" had been damaged.
One of the bases targeted, Nur Khan air base in Rawalpindi, the garrison city where the army is headquartered, is around 10 kilometres (6 miles) from the capital Islamabad.
Several blasts were heard from the capital overnight.
The air base is used to receive foreign dignitaries and Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs Adel Al-Jubeir had departed just hours earlier.
"Now you just wait for our response," Chaudhry warned India.
With the violence ratcheting up, Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered US help to deescalate.
Speaking with Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir on Saturday, Rubio "continued to urge both parties to find ways to deescalate and offered US assistance in starting constructive talks in order to avoid future conflicts," said spokeswoman Tammy Bruce.
- Disputed Kashmir -
The fighting was touched off by an attack on the Indian-run side of disputed Kashmir that killed 26 tourists, mostly Hindu men, which Delhi blamed on Islamabad.
India accused the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba -- a UN-designated terrorist organisation -- of carrying out the attack but Pakistan has denied any involvement and called for an independent probe.
The countries have fought several wars over the Muslim-majority Kashmir, which both claim in full but administer separate portions of since gaining independence from British rule in 1947.
Previous clashes have been mostly limited to the Kashmir region, separated by a heavily militarised border known as the Line of Control, but this time India has struck multiple cities deep in Pakistan.
Pakistan's foreign ministry alleged New Delhi's "reckless conduct has brought the two nuclear-armed states closer to a major conflict".
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met top security officials on Friday, including his national security advisor, defence minister and the chiefs of the armed forces, his office said.
Most of the fatalities, which included children, were in Pakistan during Wednesday's first air strikes by India.
- Drone warfare -
The last days have been framed by a series of ripostes following attacks from each side.
On Friday, the Indian army said it had "repulsed" waves of Pakistani attacks using drones and other munitions overnight, and gave a "befitting reply".
Pakistan's military spokesman denied that Islamabad was carrying out such attacks, and vowed revenge for the initial Indian strikes.
Pakistani military sources said its forces had shot down 77 drones, with debris of many incursions seen by AFP in cities across the country.
An Indian army spokeswoman on Friday spoke of "300 to 400" Pakistani drones, but it was impossible to verify that claim independently.
Pakistan has accused India of fabricating the drone strikes, and early Saturday its military claimed Delhi's forces had bombed their own territory in Amritsar, without providing evidence.
Civilians have come under fire on both sides, with Islamabad and New Delhi accusing each other of carrying out unprovoked artillery shelling, and missile and drone strikes.
On Friday, shelling along the LoC killed five civilians including a two-year-old girl on the Pakistan said, officials said.
Across the border, a police official said one woman was killed and two men wounded by heavy shelling.
- Disruptions -
Armed groups have stepped up operations in Kashmir since 2019, when Modi's Hindu nationalist government revoked its limited autonomy and took the state under direct rule by New Delhi.
The conflict has caused major disruptions to international aviation, with airlines having to cancel flights or use longer routes that do not overfly the India-Pakistan frontier.
India has closed 24 airports, while schools in areas close to the border on both sides were shuttered, affecting millions of children.
The mega Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament was on Friday suspended for a week, while Pakistan suspended its own T20 franchise competition indefinitely.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Sky News AU
an hour ago
- Sky News AU
Defence experts warn Australia's armed forces 'languishing', short on firepower due to 'deeply inadequate' military spending
Australia's defence force is weaker than it was before East Timor, is under armoured and short of firepower according to stinging analysis by two of the nation's leading defence experts. With the Prime Minister heading to the G7 in Canada, defence analyst Peter Jennings and Retired Chief of Army, Peter Leahy have both given their thoughts on the AFD and how it stacks up. A break down by Sky News of regional power players also lays out Australia's fragile capabilities despite numerous governments talking up potency, reliability and acquisitions. 'We are in a very dangerous strategic situation now,' said Peter Jennings, from Strategic Analysis Australia. It's a sentiment shared by Retired Lieutenant General, Peter Leahy. 'In the case of the Australian Army I was the Chief from 2002 to 2008. If I look at the army now it is smaller than what it was then. It's not as capable. It has less armoured protection and recruiting is really quite difficult,' said the former Chief. A former senior naval officer who wished to remain anonymous affirmed the Royal Australian Navy was down on the missile firepower it had 30 years ago – leaving it short of ships and under-gunned. With Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Europe rearming and the Chinese Communist Party intent on achieving hegemony in the region, armouries are growing, and defence budgets are being stretched. This year the United States intends to spend (in Australian dollars) $1.56 trillion on defence. China stated spend is $375-billion although its estimated to more accurately be around $620 billion. It's acquired three aircraft carriers and the world's second largest air force in a little over decade. It's also expanding its nuclear arsenal and is amassing a bespoke fleet to potentially take the democratically governed islands of Taiwan. Japan continues to ramp up its own defence spending, reportedly up nearly ten per-cent year on year to $105-billion. The sum is equal to one-point-eight percent of its GDP. Australia will spend $59 billion. It's roughly two per-cent of GDP with an intention to reach two-point-four per cent by 2034. 'We are facing some difficult times,' said Peter Jennings. 'Up against that level of risk, our defence spending is deeply inadequate… We are just a tiny shade over two per-cent of GDP and you know, that I think was a peace time level spend.' When it comes to combat airpower – fighters, bombers and long-range armed drones, America's force numbers around 3,276. China's air fleet is estimated to be around 2750. It remains highly secretive around the number of long-range drones capable of inflicting damage. Japan's defence force numbers 258. Indonesia's strike force is 116. Australia's modest but capable strike force numbers 108. The Department of Defence was specifically asked how many long-range armed drones Australia has acquired, but in its answer, didn't identify any. It's concerning considering the state of the Royal Australian Navy, which critics believe lags a decade behind in acquisition. Australia operates on a 'three to one' rotation policy meaning its force needs to be divided by three. Consequently, it aims to have two submarines, one destroyer and two frigates available for deployment. Although Australia's two resupply ships are both currently out of action tethering the navy even closer to shore. When it comes to soldiers and marines, China's fighting force numbers more than a million. Indonesia stands around 300,000. Australia's active duty force has shrunken to 28,500. 'The ADF is a professional organisation, sadly I think it's languishing,' said Peter Leahy. 'There's a really solid debate that says we need to spend more money on defence and I agree entirely. But I agree with the Prime Minister and others that it's not just a sum we need to spend, we need to be careful about what we want. How we acquire and how we introduce it into services. 'Everybody is saying it's the most catastrophic circumstances since before the second world war (and) we need to do something …. Action is required.' The former Army Chief dismissed the notion Australians should be scared. 'I don't think there's any reason to be scared …. (but) the public need to be concerned that people are thinking about this.' Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese has publicly sidestepped – if not rebuffed - America's request for Australia to urgently increase the nation's defence spending to three-point-five per cent of GDP, saying 'I think that Australia should decide what we spend on Australia's defence. As simple as that.' 'It's very clear that the Americans think our defence spend is deeply inadequate,' said Peter Jennings. '(US Defense Secretary) Pete Hegseth in Singapore said we should lift it from two per- cent to three-and-a-half per cent. That's a massive increase … So, I think the signal, not particularly coded from the United States is we need to do a lot better.' Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison recently told this reporter, 'We've got to be looking at three per cent. We should be at two-and-a-half per cent as quickly as possible. You know, I'd be saying three-per cent by 2030 … and it's not like we haven't been there before.' Though, it's always easier to talk about where defence spending should be than decide where taxes should increase or what must be cut. In the Second World War Australia's defence spend climbed towards 35 per cent of GDP. It's nothing if not an indication of the financial cost of conflict when diplomacy fails. When it came to opposition, Peter Jennings rebuffed suggestion the outcry amounted to warmongering. 'With the biggest war in Europe since the Second World War, with the Middle East in flame, with China not hiding the fact that it's becoming increasingly aggressive to all of its neighbours, circumnavigating Australia with some of its best military equipment. How could anyone think we are in a benign period and we don't have to worry about these developments,' he said. 'Il's plain for all to see, it's not like you need to have some special security clearance to understand what's going on. We can't afford to be in denial about it,' he said.


Perth Now
4 hours ago
- Perth Now
Security in focus as PM departs for global leader talks
Climate and security are expected to dominate diplomatic talks as the prime minister makes the first stop on his journey to a leaders' summit. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will arrive in Fiji to meet with his counterpart Sitiveni Rabuka on Friday, before heading to the American city of Seattle en route to Canada's mountainous vistas for the G7 summit. The two are expected to discuss climate change and regional security after their nations signed on to the co-operative Vuvale Partnership in 2019. "Visiting Fiji so soon after the election is a deliberate decision to reinforce my government's Pacific priorities and to exchange views with my dear friend Prime Minister Rabuka," Mr Albanese said. Though his visit to the Pacific is expected to play second fiddle to a potential meeting with US President Donald Trump, issues in the region remain a key focus for Australia. "Fiji is one of the most important relationships for Australia in the Pacific Islands region," Lowy Institute Pacific Islands program director Mihai Sora told AAP. The nation has been able to delineate its security relationships with traditional partners like the US, Australia and New Zealand, while also protecting and promoting trade and economic ties with China and other parts of Asia, Mr Sora said. "Fiji giving those clear signals about how it wants to manage its security relationships is something the Australian government has been keen to build upon," Mr Sora said. As Australia makes a bid to co-host the United Nations' climate conference in 2026 with Pacific nations, the environment and climate change could also be discussed. But the centrepiece of Mr Albanese's whirlwind trip will be the G7 summit, a gathering of seven of the world's largest advanced economies. Australia is not a member of the G7, but Canadian prime minister Mark Carney extended an invitation to Mr Albanese. He is expected to meet with the US president on the sidelines of the conference, where he could try to carve out a tariff exemption. Australia is facing 10 per cent tariffs on goods exported to the US and - like every US trading partner except the UK - has been hit with 50 per cent tariffs on aluminium and steel sent to America. The Australian government has called the trade measures an "act of economic self-harm" and is considering using critical minerals and US beef imports as bargaining chips. Mr Albanese has not yet confirmed whether he will meet with Mr Trump, though other bilateral discussions have been organised with the leaders of Canada, the UK, South Korea and Japan. En route to the G7, the Australian prime minister is also expected to meet with business leaders in Seattle to discuss emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.

Sky News AU
8 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Albanese urged to secure meeting with Trump amid AUKUS review
Shadow Environment and Youth Minister Angie Bell discusses the Pentagon's review of the AUKUS deal, urging Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to secure a meeting with US President Donald Trump. 'The majority of Australians do believe that our relationship with the United States is way more important than one prime minister or and one president,' Ms Bell told Sky News host Paul Murray. 'Our relationship does go way back … we have had each other's backs for a long time. 'We do have the AUKUS agreement in place that the United States is looking at now reviewing, I would say that this is never more important than ever in our history that the Prime Minister does secure a meeting with the President at the G7.'