India Launches Strikes in Pakistan, Killing Child, Wounding Two Others, Escalating Tensions

India launched airstrikes on Pakistan on Wednesday, targeting what it described as “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and the Punjab province, Fox News reports.

The strikes resulted in the death of at least one child and left two other people wounded, according to Pakistani officials. Pakistan has condemned the strikes as a “blatant act of war.”

The operation, named “Operation Sindoor,” was carried out by the Indian armed forces in response to terrorist attacks planned and directed from Pakistani territory. India’s Defense Ministry stated that the strikes were focused, measured, and non-escalatory, specifically avoiding military facilities in Pakistan. The operation targeted sites in the cities of Bahawalpur and Muridke, as well as locations across the Line of Control in Kashmir, a disputed region between the two countries.

“We have demonstrated considerable restraint in the selection of targets and method of execution,” India’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement. “No Pakistan military facilities have been targeted.”

However, Pakistani authorities responded by accusing India of violating the country’s sovereignty, stating that Indian missiles had struck civilian areas, including a mosque in Bahawalpur, resulting in civilian casualties.

“This was an unprovoked and blatant act of war,” a spokesperson for Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said.

Tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors have been high since a deadly terrorist attack in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir on April 22, which killed 26 people. India has blamed Pakistan for supporting the militants behind the attack, while Pakistan has denied any involvement. The attack and subsequent violence along the heavily militarized Kashmir border have brought the two countries closer to a larger conflict.

President Donald Trump expressed concern over the escalation, hoping the tensions would ease. “I just hope it ends very quickly,” he said, reflecting widespread international concern over the growing hostilities. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also commented on the situation, urging both India and Pakistan to work toward a peaceful resolution.

The incident has sparked fears of further escalation, with both countries exchanging gunfire across their contested border in recent weeks. The Kashmir region, which has been a source of conflict between India and Pakistan since both nations gained independence in 1947, remains one of the most militarized areas in the world.