India’s military response was swift. But its capital moved even quicker. As sirens blared across Delhi and police evacuated tourists from India Gate, war drills replaced weekday routines in 55 locations across the city. Leaves for all city employees were cancelled, government offices buzzed under emergency protocol, and the spectre of escalation began to cast its shadow over the subcontinent.
This latest escalation follows the Indian military’s precision strikes under Operation Sindoor—a response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that left 26 dead, including children and foreign tourists. Indian officials blamed Pakistan-based militant networks, including Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, and signalled there would be “measured retaliation.” On 7 May, India acted on that signal.
Nine locations across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir were hit by what Indian authorities described as “non-escalatory, focused” air and artillery strikes. At the time, Indian forces stated they had deliberately avoided military installations, framing the response as targeting terror infrastructure. Pakistan denied harbouring militants and condemned the strikes as unprovoked aggression.
Then came the night of 7–8 May.
According to the Indian Ministry of Defence, Pakistan attempted a large-scale response across multiple fronts, targeting 15 Indian cities with drones and missiles. The targets ranged from sensitive military installations in Jammu, Srinagar, Amritsar, and Pathankot to western command hubs in Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, and Phalodi. The Indian Air Defence Grid, including the Russian-origin S-400 system, reportedly neutralised all incoming threats. Wreckage was recovered across several sites, including Punjab and Gujarat, providing, as Indian officials claimed, “unambiguous proof” of Pakistan’s attempted escalation.
The retaliation was not long in coming. In the early hours of 9 May, Indian Armed Forces launched counter-strikes on Pakistani air defence systems, targeting radars and intercept units in key locations including Lahore. The Indian government said its response was “within the same domain and with the same intensity.”
At least one Pakistani air defence site in Lahore was “neutralised,” according to Indian sources.
Pakistan, on its part, claimed to have intercepted 25 incoming Indian drones, alleging the use of Israeli-made Harop drones in India’s second wave. It acknowledged damage to air defence systems and reported civilian casualties from drone debris, including one fatality in Sindh.
But what has made this round of exchanges more jarring is the civilian toll and the geographical sprawl. Sixteen civilians have died in India due to Pakistani shelling across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir—among them, three women and five children. Pakistan, in turn, claims over 30 civilian casualties from Indian action, mostly near Muzaffarabad and Balakot.
There is a familiar rhythm to this dance: action, reaction, denial, condemnation. But what’s new is the scale and the civilian exposure, especially in urban centres like Delhi.
On 8 May, Delhi Police regulated traffic near India Gate, one of the most iconic public spaces in the capital. Police announcements ordered strollers and families out of the area, warning of possible airspace restrictions. Simultaneously, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority began running mock drills designed to simulate wartime medical emergencies and crowd response. It wasn’t just symbolism. Government offices cancelled all staff leave and issued standby orders to civil defence teams.
Further south, the Indian Navy began what sources described as “targeted operations in the Arabian Sea,” taking aim at Pakistani naval installations and surveillance units. This marks a worrying maritime extension to the largely land- and air-focused tit-for-tat of the last few days. Both countries have held concurrent naval drills in the region—often just 60 kilometres apart.
While India has presented its actions as restrained and targeted, Pakistan has accused New Delhi of breaching conventional thresholds and dragging the conflict beyond the Line of Control. Statements from Islamabad have warned of “serious consequences” if the strikes continue.
International response, for the most part, has been muted, though not indifferent.
US Vice-President J.D. Vance gave what might be the clearest indication yet of the current American administration’s approach: disinterest wrapped in diplomacy. Speaking to Fox News, Vance said the conflict was “fundamentally none of our business,” adding, “We’re not going to get involved in the middle of a war that has nothing to do with America’s ability to control it.”
Pressed further, he elaborated: “America can’t tell the Indians to lay down their arms. We can’t tell the Pakistanis to lay down their arms. Our hope is that this doesn’t spiral into a broader regional war—or, God forbid, a nuclear conflict.”
President Donald Trump, too, reiterated the desire for de-escalation but emphasised that no military intervention was on the table.
India and Pakistan have fought four wars since 1947, with the Kargil War in 1999 being the last full-scale military confrontation. However, the current episode, while still operating beneath that threshold, has exhibited some of the most sustained military exchanges in over two decades. The use of drones, satellite-guided munitions, and maritime posturing signals a shift from insurgency-led confrontations to state-on-state targeting—albeit still carefully confined to the periphery of total war.
Meanwhile, civilians on both sides remain caught in the crossfire—literally and psychologically. Schools across Jammu, Punjab, and Gujarat have been shut. Civil aviation authorities have rerouted or cancelled flights across key air corridors in the north. Social media in India has been awash with unverified clips of airstrikes, sirens, and traffic disruptions.
A trending post from Amritsar showed locals gathered around the remains of a projectile, with speculation ranging from Pakistani missiles to intercepted drones. Hashtags like #LoCOnFire and #OperationSindoor have begun dominating timelines, as influencers and analysts alike weigh the political fallout.
In Pakistan, protests have erupted outside Indian diplomatic missions, while the government has requested a closed-door meeting at the United Nations Security Council. China has urged both countries to “exercise restraint,” though stopped short of attributing blame.
What remains unclear is the endgame. Indian officials insist that their posture remains defensive and proportional, with any further action contingent upon Pakistan’s behaviour. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, while chairing a security review meeting, reportedly told service chiefs that “escalation is not our choice, but we will not tolerate provocation.”
Back-channel talks, if any, have not been confirmed.
For now, the subcontinent appears to be in a holding pattern—one strike away from escalation, one statement away from diplomacy. As air defence systems stay on high alert and sea lanes bristle with sonar pings, the weight of restraint lies on both capitals.
The last time India and Pakistan came this close to sustained aerial conflict, it was 2019. Then, as now, restraint eventually prevailed—just. Whether this moment echoes that outcome or charts a different course may depend less on diplomacy and more on timing, precision, and luck.
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💥 #IndiaPakistan conflict escalates with air strikes & drone attacks after #Pahalgam terror attack. 🚨 Delhi conducts war drills; 16+ civilians dead. 🇺🇸 US calls it "none of our business." ⚠️ Fears grow as naval & aerial clashes intensify. #TheIndianSunhttps://t.co/cgx3hiMZXy
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