India-Pakistan Border Violence Escalates as Airstrikes Kill 26 Pakistani Civilians, Damage Hydropower Plant
Islamabad says the attacks violated international law and a ceasefire agreement, while New Delhi claims it was targeting terrorist infrastructure
Indian air and artillery strikes killed 26 civilians and injured 46 others in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, according to the Pakistani military, in what Islamabad described as an unprovoked and unlawful escalation. The attacks, which hit six sites including religious buildings and a key hydropower facility, marked one of the most serious flare-ups in India-Pakistan tensions in years.
Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Indian forces struck multiple civilian locations during the night between May 6 and 7, including three mosques and several residential areas. ISPR Director General Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said in a press conference that Pakistani aircraft did not enter Indian airspace and claimed that Indian aircraft were only engaged by Pakistani defenses after launching attacks.
The deadliest single strike occurred at the Subhan Allah Mosque in Ahmedpur Sharqia, where 13 civilians were killed, including two 3-year-old girls, seven women, and four men. Thirty-seven others were wounded. The Bilal Mosque near Muzaffarabad was also struck, killing three civilians and injuring two children. In Muridke, a strike on the Umm Al-Qura Mosque killed three people and injured one more.
What international norms and war laws and customs allow this—that you target water reserves, dams, and hydro power structures of another country?
Indian shelling also damaged the Neelum–Jhelum Hydropower Project near Muzaffarabad, a vital infrastructure facility for Pakistan’s energy supply. Pakistani security sources reported that the attack, launched around 2 a.m., damaged the intake gates of the dam’s de-sander unit and its hydraulic protection system. An ambulance at the site was also reportedly struck. “What international norms and war laws and customs allow this—that you target water reserves, dams, and hydro power structures of another country?” Chaudhry asked during the briefing.
The Neelum–Jhelum Hydropower Project, completed in 2018 with Chinese assistance, provides nearly 1,000 megawatts of electricity to Pakistan’s national grid. Damage to its intake systems could have long-term consequences for regional energy supply and infrastructure stability.
Lt. Gen. Chaudhry said, “As much as India fears death, we desire martyrdom,” accusing the Indian government of placing political survival above civilian lives and international norms. He added that the areas hit had recently been inspected by both local and foreign journalists who had seen no military installations present.
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As much as India fears death, we desire martyrdom
In retaliation, the Pakistan Air Force reportedly shot down five Indian aircraft—three Rafale jets, a MiG-21, and a Sukhoi—as well as a Heron combat drone, according to ISPR. Pakistan also claimed to have targeted and destroyed several Indian military positions along the Line of Control (LoC), including posts and a brigade headquarters in Danna, Gafdar, Dodhial, Chhatri, and Khaki Tekri. In one sector, Pakistani officials said 50 Indian soldiers fled their post during a counterattack.
Chaudhry said the Indian attacks endangered thousands of lives by taking place during hours when numerous domestic and international commercial flights were active in Pakistani airspace, calling the timing of the strikes “reckless.”
While India has not confirmed any losses, it has said its operation, codenamed “Operation Sindoor,” was a precision strike against terrorist infrastructure, launched in response to the April 22 bombing in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, which killed 26 Hindu pilgrims, including 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali tourist. India holds Pakistan-based groups Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed responsible for the attack.
These actions were measured, non-escalatory, proportionate, and responsible. They focused on dismantling the terrorist infrastructure and disabling terrorists likely to be sent across to India.
India’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “these actions were measured, non-escalatory, proportionate, and responsible. They focused on dismantling the terrorist infrastructure and disabling terrorists likely to be sent across to India.” According to India’s Defense Ministry, the operation was carried out using precision-guided munitions, and Indian aircraft did not enter Pakistani airspace.
Pakistan has denied harboring such groups and insists the Indian strikes violated both international law and the 2003 ceasefire agreement along the LoC, reaffirmed by both sides in 2021.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry condemned the Indian actions as a “grave escalation” and said it would raise the matter at relevant international forums, including the United Nations. Islamabad has also reached out to allies, including China and members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, urging diplomatic pressure on India to avoid further military escalation.
The Line of Control, or LoC, is the de facto border that divides the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir between Indian and Pakistani control. It was established in 1972 following the Simla Agreement, after the third Indo-Pakistani war, and has since served as both a military boundary and a flashpoint for violence. While not recognized as an international border, it functions as the primary demarcation line in the decadeslong conflict over Kashmir.
That conflict dates back to 1947, when British colonial rule in the Indian subcontinent ended and two new states—India and Pakistan—were created. The princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, with a Muslim majority population but a Hindu ruler, became the focus of competing territorial claims. The ruler, Maharaja Hari Singh, opted to accede to India, sparking the first Indo-Pakistani war. The United Nations brokered a ceasefire in 1949, leaving India in control of roughly two-thirds of the territory and Pakistan the remainder.
Since then, the region has seen repeated conflict, including full-scale wars in 1965 and 1971, a limited war in 1999, and frequent cross-border skirmishes. India accuses Pakistan of supporting insurgents and terrorist groups in Indian-administered Kashmir, while Pakistan maintains it offers only diplomatic and moral support for Kashmiris’ right to self-determination. Despite multiple ceasefire agreements, the LoC remains one of the most heavily militarized zones in the world.
The incident is the most serious military confrontation between India and Pakistan since 2019, when Indian jets struck Balakot in response to a deadly suicide bombing in Pulwama. That episode also involved cross-border air engagements and resulted in the capture and later release of an Indian pilot by Pakistan.
Both nations maintain a heavy military presence along the Kashmir border and have accused each other of ceasefire violations for decades. While minor skirmishes are not uncommon, the scale and nature of this latest exchange have raised alarm among international observers, who warn that any miscalculation between two nuclear-armed countries carries the risk of uncontrollable escalation.
As of this writing, calls for restraint have come from the United States, the United Nations, and several European and Gulf nations. Analysts say backchannel diplomacy will be crucial in preventing the situation from deteriorating further.
Steven Ganot contributed to this report.
