Subhechcha Ganguly 
In a significant escalation of tensions, India launched overnight airstrikes targeting three Pakistani airbases — Nur Khan in Rawalpindi, Murid in Chakwal, and Rafiqui in Jhang — following a wave of Pakistani drone intrusions across 26 locations in Indian states including Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Gujarat.
The Indian response came hours after Pakistan’s military spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry claimed that Indian forces had targeted the same airbases. However, Pakistan did not provide immediate evidence to support its claims. India has since confirmed the strikes, stating that the drone incursions were tracked and neutralized. In Punjab’s Ferozepur, three civilians were injured in an armed drone strike on Friday night.
Cities across Jammu and Kashmir, including Srinagar, Jammu, and Rajouri, reported loud explosions and cross-border shelling early Saturday morning. Pakistan subsequently closed its airspace between 3:15 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. on May 10, as announced by its Civil Aviation Authority.
Amid the military escalation, the G7 nations have called for both India and Pakistan to exercise maximum restraint and engage in direct dialogue. The group also condemned the April 22 terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which killed 26 people, mostly tourists.
