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India Launches Military Strikes in Pakistan in Retaliation for Kashmir Massacre; Pakistan Responds, Shoots Down Indian Jets in Escalating Conflict
By: Fern Sidman
In a dramatic and dangerous escalation between two nuclear-armed neighbors, India launched a series of military strikes on Pakistani territory early Wednesday morning, targeting “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and the densely populated Punjab province. As CNN reported, Pakistan swiftly responded, claiming it had shot down at least two Indian Air Force planes in retaliation, sparking fears of a broader conflict in the already volatile region.
According to the information provided in the CNN report, the Indian government said its missile strikes were a direct response to a brutal massacre of 26 civilians at a tourist site in Indian-administered Kashmir more than two weeks ago, an act New Delhi has blamed on terrorist elements operating with Pakistan’s support. India’s Ministry of Defense described the strikes as “focused, measured and non-escalatory,” asserting that no Pakistani military facilities were targeted.
“Our actions have been focused, measured, and non-escalatory in nature,” the ministry said in a statement shared with CNN. “India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution.”
Despite India’s insistence that only non-military installations were struck, Pakistani officials strongly rejected that characterization. Speaking to CNN, a military spokesperson said the Indian strikes killed at least three civilians, including a child, and injured at least a dozen more. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attacks as an “act of war,” vowing a “befitting reply” and asserting his country’s right to self-defense.
According to Pakistani military sources cited by CNN, five locations were struck: Kotli, Ahmadpur East, Muzaffarabad, Bagh, and Muridke. Of particular note are Ahmadpur East and Muridke—deep inside Pakistan’s Punjab province—marking the farthest India has struck into Pakistani territory since the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971.
In response, the Pakistani military said it had downed two Indian fighter jets over its airspace. A spokesperson told CNN that debris had been recovered and that pilots had been detained. CNN is still seeking comment from India’s Ministry of Defense regarding the reported downings.
Tensions escalated rapidly, with both sides exchanging artillery and gunfire across the Line of Control (LoC). A CNN journalist stationed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir reported hearing multiple explosions in quick succession. Meanwhile, in Indian-administered Kashmir’s capital of Srinagar, residents told CNN that a loud blast had shaken the city, though the cause remains under investigation.
This marks the first time since 2019 that India has conducted overt strikes on Pakistani soil. That previous episode, which also involved Indian airstrikes into Pakistani territory, followed a deadly suicide bombing that killed 40 Indian paramilitary troops. Then, as now, both nations accused the other of harboring and facilitating terror groups.
India’s military said it had hit nine separate targets during Wednesday’s operation. “Justice is served,” the Indian Army declared in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “Jai Hind!”
CNN reported that New Delhi has proactively reached out to key global powers to explain its actions and provide justification for the strikes. Senior Indian officials have briefed counterparts in the United States, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Russia on what it describes as a “counter-terror operation” necessitated by Pakistan’s failure to dismantle militant networks operating on its soil.
The U.S. State Department told CNN it was “closely monitoring” the situation and urged both parties to exercise restraint and avoid further escalation. Washington’s call for de-escalation was echoed by other Western nations concerned about the prospect of renewed hostilities between two countries that have fought three wars since gaining independence from Britain in 1947.
As the world watches closely, analysts interviewed by CNN expressed deep concern over the trajectory of the conflict. “The stakes are extraordinarily high,” one regional security expert told the network. “With nationalist governments on both sides and unresolved grievances over Kashmir, this crisis could spiral unless urgent diplomatic engagement occurs.”
As the CNN report highlighted, the global community, including the United States, expressed grave concern in the immediate aftermath. With both countries possessing nuclear weapons and a long history of conflict over the Kashmir region, diplomats from Washington, London, and Brussels warned that even a localized military skirmish could spiral into a broader regional conflagration. CNN noted that since gaining independence from Britain in 1947, India and Pakistan have fought three wars—two of them directly over Kashmir—and the area remains a flashpoint.
Despite calls for calm, both sides have instead taken swift and symbolic actions that signal a hardening of positions and a dramatic erosion of diplomatic engagement. According to CNN, India ordered the return of all Indian nationals from Pakistan, closed a key border crossing, and suspended its participation in the Indus Waters Treaty—a landmark 1960 agreement that governs the use of shared rivers flowing between the two nations. The move raised immediate alarm within Pakistan, which relies heavily on the waters of the Indus system for agriculture and drinking supply.
In response, Pakistan took several retaliatory steps. It expelled Indian diplomats, suspended trade with its neighbor, and issued a stern warning that any attempt to block or divert water flows into Pakistan would be treated as an “act of war.” As CNN reported, Islamabad has placed its military on heightened alert along the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border that divides the disputed region of Kashmir between Indian and Pakistani control.
The rapid deterioration in relations follows a familiar pattern of provocations, accusations, and military posturing that has plagued India-Pakistan ties for decades. The CNN report pointed out that the pattern of downgrading diplomatic ties, halting trade, and issuing strongly worded threats is not new—but this time, the context is especially volatile due to the sensitive location of the attack, the emotional resonance of the Kashmir issue, and the growing nationalist sentiments in both countries.
Analysts speaking to CNN warn that while neither side may desire a full-scale war, the risk of miscalculation is high. With both militaries engaged in aggressive posturing and domestic political pressures fueling the narrative on either side, even a minor border incident could lead to an uncontrolled escalation.
Adding to the complexity is the strategic significance of the Indus Waters Treaty. The World Bank–brokered accord has long been considered a rare example of successful conflict resolution between the two countries. India’s decision to suspend cooperation under the treaty has raised eyebrows globally. CNN reported that water experts fear the move could destabilize already fragile water-sharing mechanisms in the region, potentially sparking legal, environmental, and humanitarian crises.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s government has been holding emergency meetings with senior military leadership and foreign diplomats. According to CNN, Islamabad is seeking international mediation to pressure India to return to dialogue and reinstate the status quo, especially in regard to water agreements and cross-border engagement.
India, for its part, has remained firm. Its leadership maintains that Islamabad must first take concrete steps to dismantle terrorist infrastructure and prove that it is not providing safe haven to extremist groups. Officials in New Delhi told CNN that “dialogue and terror cannot go hand in hand,” reiterating a long-standing precondition for any substantive peace talks.
Despite international calls for de-escalation, a pathway to dialogue appears increasingly narrow. With nationalist media on both sides fueling public sentiment and political leadership doubling down on hardened rhetoric, the possibility of a negotiated resolution remains distant.
For those unfamiliar with the political and socio-religious evolution of Pakistan, the current state of affairs in the country may appear bewildering. Beneath the headlines of economic instability and cross-border tensions lies a deeper, historically rooted matrix of ideology, military dominance, and systemic persecution. Here is a clear and factual breakdown of how Pakistan came to be where it is today.
The Birth of a Nation — and a Divided Identity
Pakistan was created in 1947 as a homeland for Muslims in the Indian subcontinent, following a separatist movement spearheaded by the All-India Muslim League. The underlying rationale, as history reflects, was a refusal to share political power and identity with the Hindu-majority population of an independent India. The country emerged as a theocratic alternative to secular India — but in doing so, it sowed the seeds of deep-seated religious exclusivism.
Vanishing Minorities
At its inception, roughly 24% of Pakistan’s population was made up of religious minorities — Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Jews, Zoroastrians. Fast forward 75 years, and that figure has plummeted to just 2%. According to numerous human rights groups and scholars, this demographic collapse is not coincidental but the result of decades of systematic persecution, targeted violence, forced conversions, and outright ethnic cleansing. Minority communities have either fled or been silenced.
From Republic to Islamic State
In 1956, Pakistan officially declared itself the “Islamic Republic of Pakistan.” This move cemented a legal framework in which religious minorities were reduced to second- or even third-class citizens. The derogatory term “Kafir” (infidel) became institutionalized. The constitution itself bars non-Muslims from holding the highest offices in the land, enshrining religious discrimination in law.
The Deep State: Military, Mullahs, Madrassas, Media
Pakistan’s governance is defined by what analysts term the “4M” alliance — the military, mullahs (clerics), madrassas (Islamic seminaries), and media. Civilian governments, even when democratically elected, are routinely undermined or overthrown by the military, which controls vast swathes of the economy and political machinery. The country’s popular saying that “the army owns Pakistan” is not an exaggeration but a blunt acknowledgment of reality.
Clerical institutions, meanwhile, shape public education through madrassas, many of which propagate extremism. The media, heavily censored and often state-aligned, amplifies nationalist and religious rhetoric, offering little space for liberal or dissenting voices.
India and the Ideological War
While the Kashmir dispute dominates headlines, CNN and The New York Times have often noted that Pakistan’s deeper ideological obsession is Gazwa-e-Hind — a prophecy-driven jihad aimed at conquering India. The country’s national identity, built around Islamic supremacy, stands in sharp contrast to India’s secular and pluralistic ethos.
After four failed military invasions of India (1947, 1965, 1971, and 1999), Pakistan embraced asymmetrical warfare. The 2008 Mumbai attacks — often dubbed “India’s 9/11” — epitomized this shift. Militants trained and directed by Pakistani terror outfits launched coordinated attacks on civilians, underlining the state’s tacit embrace of proxy warfare.
Education and Sharia Law
Pakistan’s education system remains heavily influenced by Sharia principles. Critical thinking is suppressed, women’s education is stifled, and scientific inquiry is politicized. Malala Yousafzai, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning advocate for girls’ education, was shot in the head by Taliban gunmen — a chilling symbol of the dangers facing reformists. Ironically, many of Pakistan’s elite send their own children to Western schools and universities, revealing a stark double standard.
Economic Paralysis
According to multiple assessments by the IMF and World Bank, Pakistan’s economy is in perpetual crisis. Military expenditures consume nearly half of the national budget. Inflation is rampant. The country has been forced to seek over 20 loan packages from the International Monetary Fund since the 1980s. Unemployment is rising, and basic services are collapsing. Yet military and ideological pursuits continue unabated.
Suppressed Voices of Reform
Despite this bleak picture, some liberal and progressive Muslims in Pakistan are advocating for a radically different model — one grounded in reconciliation, social inclusion, and regional cooperation. These individuals call for peaceful relations with India, Afghanistan, and Iran. However, as observers and journalists consistently report, mainstream Pakistani media either marginalizes or ignores these voices in favor of narratives that reinforce conflict and division.
A Nation in Decline
The cumulative result is a nation in crisis — not only economically, but morally and ideologically. Violence against minorities has become normalized. Shia, Ahmadiyya, and Hazara Muslims face relentless persecution. Women and children are increasingly vulnerable. A political system beholden to generals and clerics offers little hope for structural reform.
The most recent general elections — widely criticized as rigged — have done little to restore faith in democratic institutions. As long as the “military-mullah-madrassa-media” complex remains unchallenged, meaningful change remains elusive.
Standing at a Crossroads
Pakistan stands at a crossroads. The ideals of its founding have been weaponized into tools of repression. Its minority communities, civil society, and young reformists are paying the price. Without an urgent and deep reckoning, the suffering — particularly for women, children, and minorities — will only intensify. Pakistan’s survival as a stable, modern nation may ultimately depend on whether it can confront and dismantle the very structures that were once built to sustain it.

