South Asia: New mutual attacks reported by India and Pakistan

Pakistan says it launched a military counterattack against India early Saturday morning. According to the Pakistani military, several bases, including a missile depot in northern India, were attacked. Pathankot airfield in the western Indian state of Punjab and Udhampur airbase in the Indian part of Kashmir were also hit. These reports could not immediately be independently verified. The Pakistani Ministry of Information stated in a post on X that the military operation was called "Bunyanun Marsoos." The term is taken from the Quran and means "solid, united entity."

According to Pakistani sources, India fired missiles at three air bases early Saturday morning. "India fired air-to-ground missiles with its aircraft. The Nur Khan, Mureed, and Shorkot bases were targeted," said Pakistani military spokesman Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry in a televised statement. However, Pakistani air defenses intercepted most of the missiles. According to initial damage assessments, the missiles that did penetrate did not hit any air force installations, the spokesman added.

Explosions have been reported in several Pakistani cities. One of the air bases is located in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, near the capital Islamabad, and the other two are in the eastern province of Punjab, which borders India. The Indian Defense Ministry and the Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. The Defense Ministry said only that the Indian military would comment on the latest escalations shortly. India and Pakistan partially closed their airspace to civilian flights.

The G7 countries, including Germany, have urged both India and Pakistan to exercise the greatest possible restraint. They called on the two countries to engage in direct dialogue and seek a peaceful solution amid the escalating hostilities.

On Friday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with his Defense Minister, National Security Advisor, and the Army leadership for consultations. The results of the consultations were not disclosed.

The trigger for the latest escalation between the two nuclear-armed powers is considered to be a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir in April, in which 26 people – mostly Indian tourists – were killed. Delhi accuses Islamabad of involvement. Pakistan denies this and has called for an independent investigation. Since the attack, fighting and tensions have increased again. According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, both countries currently possess approximately 170 nuclear warheads each.