After alleged rocket attack: Pakistan launches counterattack against India

After alleged missile attack, Pakistan launches counterattack against India 10.05.2025, 05:43

The conflict between India and Pakistan is escalating. India is alleged to have attacked targets in Pakistan, and the neighboring country is responding by attacking Indian military targets. The G7 countries fear for stability in the region.

Pakistan says it launched a military counterattack against India early this morning. According to the Pakistani military, several bases, including a missile depot in northern India, were attacked. Pathankot airfield in the western Indian state of Punjab and Udhampur airbase in Indian Kashmir were also hit. The military operation is called "Bunyanun Marsoos." The term is taken from the Quran and means "solid, united entity."

Shortly before the Pakistani offensive, according to Pakistani sources, India had fired missiles at three air bases, including one near the capital Islamabad. "India fired air-to-ground missiles from its aircraft. The Nur Khan, Mureed, and Shorkot bases were targeted," said Pakistani military spokesman Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry in a televised statement. However, Pakistani air defenses intercepted most of the missiles. Air force installations apparently were not hit, the spokesman added.

The Indian military announced on X that several Pakistani drone attacks had been repelled. "Pakistan's blatant attempt to violate India's sovereignty and endanger civilians is unacceptable. The Indian army will thwart the enemy's plans," the army stated. Pakistan's attacks continued along its western borders. Around 5:00 a.m. (local time), several armed drones were spotted and destroyed by Indian air defense units.

G7 appeal fails

The G7 group of leading industrialized nations called on both parties to the conflict to exercise maximum restraint and seek a peaceful solution through dialogue. "Further military escalation poses a serious threat to the stability of the region. We are deeply concerned about the safety of civilians on both sides," said a statement from the group, which includes Germany, the United States, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom, as well as the European Union's foreign policy chief.

India's attacks are a response to a terrorist attack on April 22 in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 people were killed – most of them Indian tourists. India's government accuses Pakistan of involvement, a claim the leadership in Islamabad denies. The fighting, which has been ongoing for days, is now the heaviest between the arch-enemies in nearly three decades. According to unconfirmed reports from both sides, a total of around 50 people are said to have been killed.

The border region of Kashmir is also a perennial source of conflict between the two sides. The region is divided between Pakistan and India, but both lay claim to the territory. The actual origins of the conflict date back to the colonial era. In 1947, the British granted the Indian subcontinent independence and partitioned it. The partition resulted in the creation of the new Muslim state of Pakistan, alongside predominantly Hindu India. The violent partition continues to fuel a bitter rivalry to this day. Since gaining independence, the two countries have fought three wars, two of them over Kashmir.