NEW DELHI — India said that it carried out airstrikes on multiple sites in Pakistan and Pakistani-administered Kashmir, in what it described as a targeted operation against militant infrastructure following a deadly attack on civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir last month.
The strikes, which reportedly hit at least nine locations, were described by Indian military officials as “focused, measured, and non-escalatory.” Officials emphasized that no Pakistani military facilities were targeted.
“Our actions have been focused, measured, and non-escalatory in nature,” a spokesperson for the Indian military said. “No Pakistan military facilities have been targeted.”
The airstrikes come 15 days after gunmen opened fire on a group of tourists near the resort town of Pahalgam, in the Indian-administered region of Kashmir. The April 22 attack left 26 people dead — most of them tourists — and more than a dozen wounded, making it one of the deadliest assaults on civilians in the region in decades.
India swiftly blamed Pakistan for harboring the groups responsible, though it has presented limited public evidence. Pakistan has denied any involvement and condemned the strikes as a violation of its sovereignty, vowing retribution.
Tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors have surged in recent weeks. India and Pakistan have fought multiple wars and engaged in frequent skirmishes over Kashmir, a disputed region that both claim in full but control in part.
Following the April attack, India also announced a series of retaliatory measures, including threats to restrict water supplies from rivers that flow into Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty — an agreement that has largely held since it was brokered in 1960.
Analysts warn that the current escalation risks unraveling a fragile peace and reigniting open conflict in one of the world’s most volatile regions.
