India Airstrikes in Pakistan: India launched targeted air and missile strikes on key militant hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, signaling a strategic shift in its counterterrorism posture. Get the full breakdown of the escalating India-Pakistan standoff.
India Airstrikes in Pakistan: A New Dangerous Phase or More of the Same?
Early Wednesday morning, India made a swift series of missile and air strikes against what it said were militant targets dispersed all over Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Nine targets were struck when India Airstrikes in Pakistan, according to Indian officials, between 1:05 and 1:30 AM IST—a period of just 25 minutes, but one which has left the area holding its breath in anticipation of what is to come next.
Overnight Air Strikes Target Militant Positions in Pakistan and PoK
Explosions are said to have shaken as far back as Sialkot and as far south as Bahawalpur, disturbing locals and getting the media into a frenzy in both nations.
According to Indian spokespeople, the targets in India Airstrikes in Pakistan were members of three organizations: Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Hizbul Mujahideen. All familiar terminology if you’ve been following along here for the last ten years.
Pakistan, not unexpectedly, denies these are militant camps. Islamabad confirmed six locations were attacked, but asserted it shot down five Indian aircraft and one drone. India has not yet replied to that most likely for the best of reasons. A boast like that, if it were true, would already be dominating the international headlines.
The Actual Fallout: 26 Dead in Pakistan, 10 from the Indian Side
Pakistan confirms 26 civilians killed and 46 wounded in the India Airstrikes in Pakistan. India has confirmed 10 casualties among its civilian population due to return firing from Pakistan. Civilians always have to pay the price.
What’s striking here isn’t the figures—though they’re striking in and of themselves—but the locations. India has not only crossed the LoC (Line of Control), but even the International Border, targeting locations in the province of Punjab, such as Bahawalpur—100km deep within Pakistan’s borders. That’s not normal. That’s significantly escalated from previous attacks.
And let’s be clear—this wasn’t all about revenge. This was signaling. India wanted everybody, and certainly Pakistan’s military leadership, to realize that it’s not playing the same game it played in 2016 or 2019.
How We Got Here: From Pahalgam to Bahawalpur
A New Trigger, A Familiar Pattern
The immediate catalyst for the escalation was the terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Kashmir under India’s administration. India publicly has accused Pakistan-based militants, although information is still under investigation. As expected, Pakistan has denied it and claims India has failed to produce concrete evidence.
Sound familiar? It should. We’ve heard it all before, after all.
- Uri attack of 2016 → India retaliates with “surgical strikes.”
- Pulwama bombing 2019 → India strikes Balakot within Pakistan.
Now, in 2025 India Airstrikes in Pakistan, the same events happen, but intensified and geographically more aggressive.
This time, India not only punched the LoC but punched across the international border, not just once but twice.
What’s Different This Time?
Strategic Targets, Rather Than Symbolism
The India Airstrikes in Pakistan were reportedly targeting militant infrastructure and not camps. Indian defense sources claim high-value hubs at Muridke and Bahawalpur, known to harbor Lashkar and Jaish leadership, were specifically targeted. If true, it is a big development.
Historian Srinath Raghavan avers this transition in clear words: “Earlier, India sidestepped the International Border. Now, it’s targeting militant hubs within Pakistan’s mainland. This is less revenge and more about reasserting deterrence.”
There’s obviously an effort here to try to impose an Israel doctrine—hit hard, quick, and often to sustain credibility. But there’s a problem here: India and Pakistan are not Israel and Gaza. They’re nuclear-armed rivals.
Will Pakistan Retaliate?
The Answer Isn’t “If”—It’s “How”
Let’s cut through the noise here: Yes, Pakistan will react. It always does. It’s what form it takes which is at issue.
Lahore political analyst Ejaz Hussain informed us in the BBC, “Retaliatory action, in some form perhaps of medical strikes, is likely.” That seems plausible, but imprecise—because really, no one but insiders within the Pakistani military have any idea what’s next.
The risk is not one-shot retaliation after India Airstrikes in Pakistan. The risk is escalation—a cycle of tit-for-tat no one has the ability to manage. That is not rumor, it’s history speaking. We’ve watched this film before, and it doesn’t have a good script.
What’s at Stake for India
National Security vs. Political Messaging
From the perspective of policymaking, India is looking to re-establish deterrence. New Delhi believes its strikes in 2019 succeeded until they failed. Now it feels compelled to remind its archrival, Pakistan, of the price they pay for sheltering militants.
Let’s not pretend otherwise. We have our domestic side as well.
As the elections near and nationalism remains a tried-and-true political tool, hard military action is popular at home. That does not necessarily mean it is not justified but it does complicate the situation.
Former Indian Ambassador Ajay Bisaria has characterized the strike as a “Balakot-plus” attack: “More visible, more accurate, and harder for Pakistan to deny.” From a diplomatic perspective, that’s gold. From a military perspective, it opens the door to blowback.
Is There A Way Out of Escalation?
Some experts predict we might sidestep a broader war in the current situation. American analyst Christopher Clary believes the countries may content themselves with an exchange of retaliatory strikes, followed by the usual escalation of firing along the LoC and then a return to status quo. Reported on BBC.
It’s optimistic. A bit too optimistic, perhaps.
Because even if both countries stop short of all-out war, they’ve already made risky moves. India suspended a water-sharing agreement, shut its airspace to Pakistani aircraft, and pushed out diplomats. Pakistan retaliated by suspending a 1972 peace agreement and making its own threats.
None of these is “de-escalation.” It is brinkmanship.
Read also: Mock drills in India
Final Take: A Familiar Match, Played with Greater Risks
If you have been following India-Pakistan relations all these years, you know the routine—strike, deny, retaliate, escalate, then dial it back before it gets to the nukes. But they’re harder steps this time. Harder strikes. Louder messages. And the risks? Higher than they have been at any time since 2002.
Both countries have seen the script. Whether they are willing to rewrite it, instead of continuing to move incrementally closer to the edge with each iteration remains to be seen.
