2025-05-07T17:20:01Z

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In the early hours of Wednesday, residents living along the Line of Control (LoC)—the contentious de facto border that divides Indian-administered Kashmir from Pakistan-administered Kashmir—were abruptly awakened by a series of intense explosions. This alarming situation began around 1 AM local time, following India's launch of airstrikes targeting multiple locations in Pakistan. These military actions were characterized by Indian officials as a necessary retaliatory measure against 'terrorists' responsible for the tragic deaths of 26 civilians in a horrific attack in Pahalgam, a popular tourist spot in south Kashmir.

Hafeez Wani, a local resident from Karnah in the Kupwara district of north Kashmir, approximately 100 kilometers from the LoC, shared his harrowing experience with Middle East Eye. He recounted how he and his neighbors were abruptly roused from sleep by the thunderous sounds of artillery fire. “We were not able to step outside of our homes because of the intensity of firing from both sides. We could only hear loud bangs from inside,” Wani stated, highlighting the disquiet and fear that gripped the community.

The violence escalated further as the Pakistani military responded to India's airstrikes with heavy artillery shelling along the LoC, targeting Indian military posts. Reports from Indian media indicated that the cross-border clashes have resulted in at least 15 fatalities and over 40 injuries, primarily concentrated in the Poonch and Tangdhar sectors of the Indian-administered territory.

“There is a lot of damage in Karnah. A lot of houses are burned. In every village, at least two to three houses are burnt. Vehicles are also damaged. People are very scared,” Wani lamented, reflecting on the devastation he witnessed. Tragically, Wani's own father lost his life in a similar cross-border incident in 2003, which adds a personal layer to his current fears. He described the recent escalation as “very dangerous and extremely scary,” expressing that the chaos of that night was unprecedented in his lifetime. “What we saw in the night, we have not seen something like that in our whole life. It was very dangerous. Whatever happened during the night was extremely scary,” he articulated with palpable distress.

In a surprising turn of events, Pakistani military officials and various media outlets reported that Indian fighter jets had been downed within Indian airspace. According to a report from The New York Times, at least two jets were confirmed to have crashed, with eyewitnesses and official sources corroborating this information. One crash site was reportedly located in Wuyan village in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district. Indian security forces quickly cordoned off the area, but earlier visuals depicted wreckage from a plane that had collided with a school building, as local residents and firefighters worked to extinguish the flames.

A resident of Wuyan, who chose to remain anonymous, recounted the terrifying moment of waking up to a loud explosion. “I came out and saw the wreckage of a plane burning. And for the next 30 minutes, I heard back-to-back blasts. After a while, firefighters came and we were asked to leave,” he recounted, illustrating the panic that gripped the community. Meanwhile, Reuters reported that three jets crashed within Indian-administered Kashmir, with their pilots receiving medical care at local hospitals. However, Pakistan claimed to have shot down five Indian jets, a claim that India vehemently denied, asserting that none of its military assets were harmed during the operation.

On Wednesday, a French official informed CNN that an Indian-operated Rafale jet, which belongs to France, had been downed by the Pakistani air force, adding another layer of complexity to the situation. There has been no confirmation regarding the participation of these aircraft in the recent airstrikes against Pakistan.

The backdrop to this escalation traces back to the tragic killing of 26 civilians in Pahalgam by armed assailants on April 22, which ignited a wave of outrage in India. The Indian government accused Pakistan of harboring the attackers and vowed to exact revenge for the loss of innocent lives. Relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors have plunged into a deep crisis, particularly after India took drastic measures to downgrade diplomatic ties with Pakistan. This included suspending the Indus Water Treaty and deporting Pakistani citizens from Indian territory. In response, Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian flights, further intensifying tensions.

The atmosphere of hostility has been exacerbated by calls for retribution from various political figures, television news anchors, celebrities, and right-wing factions within India. Subsequently, Indian military forces executed what they termed 'precision strikes' on nine locations within Pakistan, asserting that their targets were linked to 'terrorist infrastructure'. Official sources from Pakistan reported that these military actions resulted in 26 civilian fatalities and 46 injuries.

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh defended the airstrikes, claiming they only targeted those responsible for the civilian deaths, maintaining that the operations were focused solely on 'terror camps' and did not result in civilian casualties. Nevertheless, Pakistan described the Indian airstrikes as “an act of war” and vowed to respond decisively, signaling that the cycle of violence may not yet be over.