Pakistan Denies Missile Strikes on India as Border Tensions Escalate
Pakistan has denied Indian claims that it launched missile and drone attacks on Indian military bases, as tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors continue to mount.
India’s Integrated Defence Staff reported that military installations in Jammu, Udhampur, and Pathankot came under attack, but said its defense systems repelled the strikes and no casualties were reported. Shesh Paul Vaid, former police chief of Jammu and Kashmir, added that Jammu Airport might have been among the targets, noting that over 50 loud explosions were likely caused by India’s defensive response.
Residents in Srinagar, the capital of India-administered Kashmir, reported hearing air raid sirens followed by a blackout, adding to the anxiety in the already restive region.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs categorically rejected the accusations, calling them “entirely unfounded, politically motivated, and part of a reckless propaganda campaign.” The ministry warned that such allegations threatened regional peace and showed a “disturbing willingness” to exploit misinformation for political and military objectives.
Islamabad also accused India of escalating hostilities by launching drone strikes on Thursday that killed at least two Pakistani civilians. Pakistan’s military claimed it intercepted several drones, while India said it had targeted Pakistan’s air defense systems and neutralized attempts to strike Indian bases.
These developments follow a deadly incident last month in which over two dozen people—mostly Hindu tourists—were killed by gunmen in Indian-controlled Kashmir. India blamed the attack on Pakistan, an accusation Islamabad has firmly denied.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has pledged retaliation for Indian missile strikes that Islamabad says killed 31 civilians earlier this week. Heavy exchanges of fire have since been reported along the Line of Control, with Pakistan claiming to have killed numerous Indian soldiers—an assertion New Delhi has not confirmed.
As the rhetoric intensifies, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called on both Pakistani and Indian officials to de-escalate the situation. He spoke with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Sharif and India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Thursday to urge restraint.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar dismissed India’s claim that it targeted Indian Punjab, alleging the accusations were aimed at inflaming anti-Pakistan sentiment among India’s Sikh population. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar told parliament that Pakistan had yet to respond militarily but warned that a response was inevitable.
In anticipation of further escalation, Indian authorities ordered a night-time blackout in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district near the border.
The growing hostilities have raised alarm over the possibility of another full-scale conflict between the two long-time rivals.
