Pakistan's airspace closed after India counterattack; China, G7 fear military escalation

Pakistan launched an operation dubbed "Unbreakable Wall" on Saturday (10) as part of the country's retaliation against India after New Delhi fired missiles at Pakistani air bases, including one near the capital Islamabad. The confrontation is the most serious between the two nuclear powers in decades and has caused around 50 civilian deaths on both sides.

With information from RFI correspondents in Bangalore , Côme Bastin, and in Islamabad , Sonia Ghezali , and AFP

Pakistani security sources said on Saturday that the army had launched a retaliatory strike against India. Minutes after the Pakistani counterattack, New Delhi confirmed it had come under "a series of drone strikes and other munitions".

The operation was launched after strikes targeted three Pakistani bases overnight, including one on the outskirts of Islamabad, amid a serious confrontation between the two nuclear powers. Explosions were reported early Saturday in the city of Srinagar in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir, which is disputed by the two countries. At midday on Saturday, the Pakistan Aviation Authority announced that Pakistani airspace would be closed until Sunday morning. At least 32 airports on the Indian side were also reported to be closed.

Shortly afterwards, a Pakistani army spokesman appeared on state television, announcing widespread retaliation and declaring that “India has attacked Nour Khan, Mourid and Chorkot bases with missiles. Now wait for our response,” he threatened in English. Since then, there has been a succession of missile strikes, artillery fire and drone strikes between the two neighbors.

According to Islamabad, the retaliation followed Indian strikes on Pakistani air bases, including one near the capital. The most serious confrontation between the two nuclear powers in decades has already resulted in around 50 civilian deaths on both sides.

Independent verification of the attacks between the two countries is difficult. On the Indian side, it is alleged that five people, including a senior officer, were killed earlier by artillery fire. There have also been Pakistani drone strikes in 26 border areas, resulting in one injury. According to RFI , the drones were said to have targeted the airport in Srinagar, the capital of Kashmir. “Pakistan’s escalation continues with a series of drone strikes and other ordnance,” the Indian army said on its X-Ray account. Pakistan denies all such allegations.

Pakistan denies retaliation

Pakistani Kashmir's information minister Mazhar Saeed Shah told AFP on Saturday that "eleven people, including four women and a child" were killed overnight "in intense Indian shelling at more than five locations along the Line of Control," the de facto border in the disputed region. "Since Wednesday, 28 people have been killed and 125 injured in Indian shelling or missile attacks" in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, he added.

In particular, the Indian army described a number of "armed enemy drones" seen in the early hours of the morning in the Amritsar sector of the Indian state of Punjab. They were "instantly destroyed", it added. The Indian city, close to the border, is home to the Golden Temple, revered by Sikhs.

Pakistan has so far said it has not yet carried out the "retaliation" it promised after the Indian strikes on Wednesday (7). India carried out strikes on Pakistani soil in retaliation for an attack in Indian-run Kashmir on April 22. The attack, which killed 26 civilians, was not claimed, but New Delhi has accused Islamabad of doing so despite its denials.

Since then, missile strikes, artillery fire and drone strikes have followed, while the two rivals, since their painful split in 1947, have ignored calls for de-escalation from abroad. So there is no sign of appeasement between New Delhi and Islamabad. On the contrary, the situation has escalated to such an extent that the media no longer hesitates to talk of war.

New Delhi has claimed in recent days that it has been the target of a wave of Pakistani drone strikes in Kashmir and the northwestern border state of Punjab. The Pakistani military, for its part, has claimed to have shot down 77 Indian drones since the outbreak of hostilities.

It is impossible to independently verify what both sides are saying, especially since many areas are inaccessible.

International concern

In a statement, the G7 warned against "further military escalation that poses a serious threat to regional stability." The group, currently chaired by Canada, called on the two adversaries to "engage in direct dialogue with the aim of finding a peaceful solution."

In response to the escalation, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio immediately called Pakistani Army Chief Asim Mounir. He "continued to urge both sides to find ways to de-escalate and offered the United States' assistance in engaging in constructive discussions to avoid future conflicts," according to a State Department statement.

China also made a "firm" appeal to New Delhi and Islamabad to avoid escalation.