As New Delhi and Islamabad report drone and artillery attacks, calls for restraint and fact-checking continue.
Tensions continue as India and Pakistan exchanged accusations and attacks overnight across Kashmir’s frontiers.
New Delhi and Islamabad on Friday accused each other of launching drone attacks, as well as “many ceasefire violations” over Control of the Disputed Area (LOC). Continuing hostility sparked a demand for further restraint as the risk of escalation between the two nuclear forces increased.
Pakistan launched “multiple attacks” using drones and other ammunition along India’s western border on Thursday night and early Friday, claiming it had repelled the attack and responded with force, though it did not provide details.
Islamabad denied the attack across the border, accusing Indian forces of sending drones to Pakistani territory instead, killing at least two civilians. Pakistani forces claim they have recently fired down 25 Indian drones.
Local officials in the area near Control reported an unusually intense night of artillery exchanges in which at least four civilians injured 12 people and continued firing until Friday morning.
Pakistani Information Minister Ataura Thalal said the Indian Army statement was “basically unfounded and misleading” and that Pakistan did not undertake “aggressive behaviour” targeting areas within India-controlled Kashmir or cross-border regions.
Islamabad previously refused to attack Patankot city in Punjab, India, Srinagar in Kashmir Valley, and Jaisalma in Rajasthan.
South Asian analyst Michael Kugelman warned that “disinformation is escalating as rapidly as hostilities.”
“Both are very dangerous for a variety of reasons. Follow the fact checker,” he posted on social media, urging the public to rely on verified sources.
“We don’t have any business.”
India launched “Operation Sindoor” on Wednesday, targeting what it described as a fighting camp in Pakistan in retaliation for attacks on India-controlled Kashmir tourists.
New Delhi strongly denied Pakistan’s allegations that it accused Islamabad of supporting the perpetrators.
Since then, exchanges of fires, drone activities and airspace violations have been intensified, killing nearly 40 people in most Pakistan.
The ongoing conflict has shown one of the worst escalations among nuclear-armed rivals in recent years. The pair have fought three full-scale wars over Kashmir since gaining independence from the UK in 1947.
The global authority from the US to China calls on both sides to exercise restraint.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with leaders of both countries on Thursday, demanding “immediate ejection,” his spokesperson said.
Vice President JD Vance reflected the call, but added that the US would not be involved.
“What we can do is try to encourage these people to escalate a bit. Fundamentally none of our businesses are involved in the midst of the war,” he told Fox News.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi, who is currently visiting New Delhi, also called for restrictions. “We hope that India and Pakistan will prevent escalation of tensions in the region,” he said as he arrived.
China, a close ally of Pakistan, called an attack across India’s borders, “remorse” and urged both governments to show restraint.
“India and Pakistan have always been each other’s neighbors and that is what China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “We urge both sides to act for peace and stability in our region and refrain from any actions that could exacerbate the situation.”