Islamabad has vowed retaliation after New Delhi struck multiple “terrorist targets” on its territory and Pakistan-controlled part of Kashmir

Indian security forces are on the LoC sector in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, India, on May 7, 2025. ©  Nasir Kachroo/NurPhoto via Getty Images

India has launched “Operation Sindoor,” targeting what it calls “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan and the Pakistan-controlled part of Kashmir, in retaliation for a deadly terrorist attack in Baisaran Valley.

Islamabad has condemned the strikes as a “heinous provocation” and vowed retaliation.

New Delhi said it hit at least nine targets early Wednesday morning, insisting that the strikes were directed at “terrorist camps” and not the Pakistani armed forces or civilians.

“Our actions have been focused, measured, and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in the selection of targets and method of execution,” the Indian government said in a statement.

READ MORE: ‘Operation Sindoor’: What are the nine targets that India bombed inside Pakistan?

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described the Indian operation as a “cowardly” attack, stating that Islamabad “has every right to respond forcefully to this act of war imposed by India, and a forceful response is being given.”

The airstrikes follow the April 22 attack in Baisaran Valley, which left 26 civilians dead. India has held Pakistan indirectly responsible, alleging cross-border militant involvement. Islamabad has vehemently denied that it had any role in the attack and has called for an impartial probe.

Amid heightened tensions and sporadic border skirmishes, India has launched one of its largest civil defense exercises in recent years, dubbed Operation Abhyaas. The nationwide “mega drill,” according to local media, simulates wartime scenarios and includes air raid sirens, blackout protocols, evacuation plans, and public training to enhance preparedness in the event of a hostile attack.

08 May 2025

18:32 GMT

Pakistani attacks have led to a total blackout in several parts of North India, RT South Asia correspondent Runjhun Sharma has reported from Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir.

The blackout followed Pakistani drone and missile attacks in several parts of India, she said.

While the Indian military has been able to “neutralize these drones and missiles,” there is “constant heavy artillery firing happening across the line of control, which is the de facto border between India and Pakistan,” Sharma reported.

Indian Prime Minister “Narendra Modi has met his NAC, the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, to brief him on the situation... [there is] constant monitoring of the situation... at the highest level in New Delhi right now,” she reported.

 

 

 

18:19 GMT

Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has talked to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and discussed the ongoing escalation between New Delhi and Islamabad.

“India has been measured in its actions. However, any escalation will get a firm response,” he announced in an X post.

 

 

17:02 GMT

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has talked with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the phone and condemned India’s strikes.

Sharif also asserted that Pakistan would “defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity at all costs” as quoted by PTV News.

Rubio, in turn, noted that the US was “closely following the situation in South Asia” while being “committed to promoting peace and stability in the region,” urging both India and Pakistan to de-escalate.

16:58 GMT

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, stressing “the urgency for immediate de-escalation.” Rubio also “reaffirmed US support for direct dialogue between India and Pakistan and encouraged ongoing efforts to enhance communication.”

He also expressed his condolences for victims of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam.

16:42 GMT

Sources report heavy shelling along the Line of Control, as Pakistan continues to launch missiles and drones; some have been intercepted in Jammu.

The Indian cities of Jammu and Srinagar have also reported power outages.

 

 

 

 

16:06 GMT

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has stated that India’s response to last month’s terrorist attack in Kashmir has been “non-escalatory, precise, and measured.”

“Our intention is not to escalate matters – we are only responding to the escalation. No military targets have been struck; only terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan has been hit,” he said during a briefing in New Delhi. He added India’s action was “restrained” and was directed “toward non-civilian, non-military targets, and confined to terrorist camps.” 

Misri also stated that the choice regarding de-escalation rests with Islamabad, as he accused Pakistan of triggering the escalation with the April 22 Pahalgam attack in Kashmir, during which 26 people – predominantly tourists – were gunned down by terrorists.

Misri noted that contrary to Pakistan’s claims that New Delhi targeted civilians during its May 7 strikes – codenamed ‘Operation Sindoor’ – Islamabad itself targeted civilian areas in India on Wednesday during its retaliation. He alleged that Pakistan launched a deliberate attack on the Sikh community, hitting a Sikh temple in the town of Poonch, Jammu region. “We know that at least three individuals were killed in that particular attack,” Misri stated.

New Delhi on Thursday updated the death toll from the Pakistani attacks to 16 people, including three women and five children.

Pakistan earlier claimed that at least 31 civilians were killed on Wednesday following India’s launch of ‘Operation Sindoor’.

15:29 GMT

The Indian Armed Forces successfully countered Pakistan’s extensive drone and missile offensive targeting multiple military installations across Northern and Western India during the night of May 7–8, officials in New Delhi have said. The response included the neutralization of an air defense system in Lahore

“This morning, the Indian Armed Forces targeted air defense radars and systems at several locations in Pakistan. The Indian response has matched Pakistan’s in both domain and intensity. It has been reliably learnt that an air defense system in Lahore has been neutralized,” Indian Army spokesperson Col. Sofiya Qureshi told the media at a briefing in the capital on Thursday.

India had earlier warned that “any attack on military targets in India will invite a suitable response.” 

Wing Commander Vyomika Singh added that over the past two days, Pakistan had intensified its unprovoked firing across the Line of Control, employing mortars and heavy-caliber artillery in the Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, Poonch, Mendhar, and Rajouri sectors of Jammu and Kashmir. “Sixteen innocent lives have been lost, including three women and five children, due to Pakistani shelling. India was compelled to respond in order to halt the mortar and artillery fire from Pakistan,” she said.

 

 

13:08 GMT

India has banned all online content from Pakistan.

 

“In the interest of national security, all OTT platforms, media streaming platforms and intermediaries operating in India are advised to discontinue the web-series, films, songs, podcasts and other streaming media content, whether made available on a subscription based model or otherwise, having its origins in Pakistan with immediate effect,” India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said in an advisory.

 

11:39 GMT

The Indian and Iranian foreign ministers have co-chaired a joint commission meeting in New Delhi.

 

“Did a comprehensive review of our bilateral cooperation and agreed on next steps in many domains,” Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said on X. “Will be marking the 75th anniversary of our diplomatic relations in an appropriate manner.” 

 

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi visited Pakistan on Tuesday. Tehran has called on New Delhi and Islamabad to “exercise restraint” in the face of growing tensions that threaten to escalate into a full-blown conflict.05:10 PM

 

 

11:30 GMT

Sri Lanka has said it will stay neutral in any conflict between India and Pakistan.

 

“We will not get involved in the Indian Ocean geopolitical issues,” Sri Lankan Cabinet Spokesperson Nalinda Jayatissa said at a press briefing in Colombo. “We will follow a non-aligned stance while maintaining our sovereignty.”

 

The spokesperson added that Sri Lanka was “prepared to support any measure to prevent terrorism.”

 

 

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