PAKISTAN claims to have killed up to 50 Indian soldiers as they vow to get revenge for “every drop of blood” spilt in the deadly conflict.
The nuclear-armed neighbours are teetering on the brink of an all-out war as border clashes in Kashmir continue after several Indian missile strikes and drone attacks.
Pakistan’s military operations across the last two days have resulted in the deaths of between “40-50 Indian soldiers”, according to information minister Attuallah Tarar.
Fighting between the two powerful nations has intensified this week along the de facto border between Indian and Pakistani-controlled areas of the Kashmir region.
Tensions boiled over in the early hours of Wednesday morning after India launched a terrifying barrage of missile strikes on nine targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
Islamabad accused their neighbours of deliberately targeting civilians in the attacks as they hit back with days of intense shelling.
Both sides have now accused each other of sending drones and missiles at one another.
Pakistan’s armed forces also managed to take down 25 Israeli-made Harop drones sent by India today, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
The ISPR report added that India was “panicked by the elimination of its five modern jets, several drones and soldier deaths”.
The prime minster boasted that it “took only a few hours” to bring the Indian military “to its knees”.
India hit back by claiming Pakistan also sent “drones and missiles” to a number of regions in the country.
They said they managed to “neutralise” all of the Pakistani air attacks.
They also accused Islamabad of using mortars and heavy calibre artillery in Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, Poonch, Mendhar and Rajouri sectors in Jammu and Kashmir.
Horrified locals were pictured standing inside their crumbling homes as smoke continued to rise across Kashmir early this morning .
Officials stated the Indian army responded with gunfire of their own to halt the attacks.
These back and forth attacks have led to the death tolls from both sides sharply rising.
India says 16 people, including three women and five children, have died since Wednesday morning due to Pakistani aggression.
Indian officials also said that border force security shot dead a “Pakistani intruder” who was trying to cross the International Border in Punjab on Thursday.
As Pakistan ‘s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a televised address to the nation as he said over 30 people were killed in the latest round of enemy strikes .
A seven-year-old boy was among the victims with another 57 also injured, the PM claimed.
Sharif also issued a chilling threat to the Indian government as he said: “I promise that we will take revenge for every drop of blood of these victims.”
He called on Pakistanis to show “courage” in the face of evil across the border.
Sharif went on to repeat claims that his men shot down several Indian fighter jets – including three French -made Rafales.
Heavy gunfire is continuing along the volatile Line of Control in Kashmir despite India describing it as “unprovoked firing”.
The volatile clashes erupted this week when India claimed they hit terror infrastructure in a planned operation labelled “Operation Sindoor” on Wednesday morning.
Pakistan said they targeted civilian regions but New Delhi insisted iy only hit sites used by militants.
They claimed up to 100 terrorists were killed across the terror camps, local outlet NDTV reports.
India’s Ministry of Defence said the strikes were in retaliation to a “barbaric” mass shooting in Kashmir last month , when 26 people were killed by gunmen.
India blames Pakistan for the shooting – but the latter denies any involvement.
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has now warned that Operation Sindoor “is not over” with further attacks expected from both sides.
Pakistan branded it a “cowardly and unlawful act of war”.
Why are India and Pakistan enemies?
Disputes between India and Pakistan over Kashmir date back decades.
The Muslim-majority territory was fought over after both countries gained independence following India’s partition in 1947.
In 1965, India and Pakistan went to war again, but this time there was a ceasefire.
Kashmir is still under divided control, and tensions in the region flare up on a regular basis.
India also fought Pakistani wars in 1971 and 1999, with the 1970s conflict leading to Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan.
The current conflict stems from how the region was divided as the two countries gained independence.
Indian troops captured two-thirds of Kashmir, while Pakistan seized the northern third.
Since then, the dispute has escalated into one of the world’s most heated geopolitical rivalries.
Kashmir has a population of approximately 16 million people, divided between Indian and Pakistani controlled zones.
The country has been greatly impacted by the recent devastating attacks, with airports in three major cities set to close until 6 p.m. (1 p.m. UK time), the Civil Aviation Authority said.
The airports in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad will be closed for “operational reasons”.
According to Reuters, Emirates has suspended flights to Pakistan until May 10.
It comes as US President Donald Trump spoke about the ongoing conflict and stated that he is willing to do “anything to help”.
Sir Keir Starmer also informed Parliament that Britain is “engaging urgently” with both Commonwealth countries.
The prime minister stated that he is “encouraging dialogue” and urging “de-escalation”.
India and Pakistan are being urged to avoid nuclear war, which could kill up to 125 million people.
Peace campaigners, such as the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, are “gravely concerned” and have urged both sides to back off the brink.
India and Pakistan have small nuclear weapons stockpiles in comparison to Russia and the United States, but they have a tense rivalry and a long-standing dispute over Kashmir.
New Delhi is estimated to have 170 nuclear warheads that can be delivered by land, sea, or air.
Islamabad was last officially thought to have 170 weapons, but that number could have increased to around 200.
Colonel Philip Ingram, a former British Army commander, believes the West will be especially concerned about a nuclear conflict.
Ingram told The Sun that Western intelligence will be particularly focused on the readiness and outloading of nuclear stocks within Pakistan and India, as well as closely monitoring what happens to them.
“The worrying thing about these two nations is that the tensions are very real.”
How nuclear war could kill 125 million?
The fighting neighbours exchanged rocket and artillery attacks overnight, killing dozens and raising fears of all-out conflict.
Now, there are fears that the fighting will escalate to the use of nuclear weapons, killing tens of millions.
Peace campaigners, such as the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, are “gravely concerned” and have urged both sides to back off the brink.
Colonel Philip Ingram, a former British Army commander, believes the West will be especially concerned about a nuclear conflict.
Ingram told The Sun that Western intelligence will be particularly focused on the readiness and outloading of nuclear stocks within Pakistan and India, as well as closely monitoring what happens to them.
“The worrying thing about these two countries is that the tensions are very real.
“The nuclear weapons are not there to defend them against an attack by China, Russia, or anyone else. It’s completely focused on each other.”
According to Ingram, the use of nuclear weapons could escalate quickly, and powers such as the United States would step in to try to prevent it.
He elaborated: “The US Secretary of State, flying into India and Pakistan, would carry out shuttle diplomacy between the two.”
However, that may not be enough to overcome the two enemies’ animosity and desire to escalate the conflict.
According to Xiaodon Liang, a Senior Policy Analyst, Nuclear Weapons Policy and Disarmament at the Arms Control Association, the primary concern should be the possibility of battlefield use escalating to “strategic nuclear exchanges”.
Liang pointed out: “Pakistan has made very clear that it will use nuclear weapons to prevent a full-scale Indian invasion of its territory, and the potential for uncontrollable escalation is part of what makes every crisis between India and Pakistan particularly dangerous.”
