By Shane Croucher and Hannah Parry
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Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has claimed that his country's military shot down five Indian fighter jets - something that Delhi has not confirmed - as a "reply from our side to them".
Sharif said, in his TV address on Wednesday, translated by the BBC, that India had made a mistake by launching strikes on Pakistan, to which they would have to "suffer the consequences."
"They destroyed the planes of our attackers and enemies," he added referring to Pakistan's air force shooting reportedly down the Indian planes. "This is a nation of courageous people who have high aims. They respect their country and protect their country. They will fight until the last drop of their blood."
What to know
- Tensions between nuclear-armed neighbors Pakistan and India continue to escalate in the aftermath of the Pahalgam massacre.
- Sharif said that the deadly attack on Indian tourists in Pahalgam "wasn't related" to Pakistan and that his country was "accused for the wrong" reasons.
- The death toll from Indian strikes on Pakistan has now risen to 31, according to the Pakistan military.
- India says it struck terror infrastructure in Pakistani territory, and says Pakistani shelling also killed civilians in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
- U.S., China urge restraint from both sides.
Newsweek's live blog is closed.
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May 07, 2025 at 06:21 PM EDT
US lawmaker urges India, Pakistan to ‘lean into Democracy’
Sen. Tim Kaine, from Virginia, has urged Indian and Pakistani leaders to "find a path towards de-escalation" as the death toll reaches 31.
"For the sake of innocent civilians in India and Pakistan – now is the time to lean into diplomacy," Kaine, a Democrat, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
May 07, 2025 at 05:42 PM EDT
Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai urges Pakistan, India to ‘de-escalate tensions’
Pakistani-born Malala Yousafzai, the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, has called on Pakistan and India to "take steps to de-escalate tensions, protect civilians - especially children - and unite against the forces of division".
"Hatred and violence are our common enemies, not each other," Malala said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Malala was shot in the head in 2012 by the Taliban for going to school in Pakistan. Two years later she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize at age 17.
She sent her condolences to those who had lost people in the strikes and said she was thinking of her friends, her family, "and all the advocates, educators and girls she works with in Pakistan at this "dangerous time".
"The international community must act now to promote dialogue and diplomacy. Peace is the only way forward for our collective security and prosperity," Malala added.
May 07, 2025 at 05:11 PM EDT
National security advisers of India and Pakistan have spoken, says foreign minister
Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar has said that national security advisers of India and Pakistan have spoken amid the rapidly escalating conflict.
"There has been contact between the two, yes," he told Turkish broadcaster TRT World.
He did not share what was discussed.
May 07, 2025 at 04:15 PM EDT
Spain’s foreign ministry calls for restraint from both India and Pakistan
Spain's minister of foreign affairs, José Manuel Albares, has held talks with his counterparts in India and Pakistan as he urged both sides to avoid further escalation.
Manuel Albares urged restraint and dialogue between the two nuclear nations amid the crisis.
He also offered Spain as a mediator in talks, or suggested that the United Nations could assist with an ongoing dialogue.
May 07, 2025 at 03:51 PM EDT
Pakistan’s defense minister says they will ‘never target civilians’ in India
Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has said Pakistan will only aim for military targets in India.
"We will never target civilians," he said on Pakistani news channel Geo News.
"We will abide by international law. We will contain this international confrontation to military targets only."
May 07, 2025 at 02:33 PM EDT
Turkey’s Erdogan shows support for Pakistan after attacks
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to give his support in the wake of India's attacks.
"Erdogan stated that Turkiye was ready to do what it can to prevent the tensions from escalating, and that his diplomatic contacts in that regard would continue," Erdogan's office said in a statement.
During the call, Erdogan praised Sharif's "calm and restrained policies," adding it was "appropriate" for Pakistan to call for an investigation into the attack in Pahalgam, in Indian-administered Kashmir, last month that sparked the conflict.
May 07, 2025 at 01:59 PM EDT
Trump calls for India, Pakistan to ‘stop now’ amid escalating conflict
President Donald Trump has called on Pakistan and India to stop their escalating "tit for tat" conflict.
"It's so terrible, I get along with both and I want to see them work it out," Trump said what asked about the issue.
"Hopefully they can stop now, they going tit for tat," he added before offering U.S. assistance.
"If I can do anything to help, I will be there," Trump said.
May 07, 2025 at 01:38 PM EDT
Pakistani PM Sharif says military shot down five Indian jets as a ‘reply from our side’
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has claimed that his country's military shot down five Indian fighter jets - something that Delhi has not confirmed - as a "reply from our side to them".
Sharif said, in his TV address on Wednesday, translated by the BBC, that India had made a mistake by launching strikes on Pakistan, to which they would have to "suffer the consequences."
"They destroyed the planes of our attackers and enemies," he added referring to Pakistan's air force shooting reportedly down the Indian planes.
"This is a nation of courageous people who have high aims. They respect their country and protect their country. They will fight until the last drop of their blood."
May 07, 2025 at 01:21 PM EDT
Pakistan’s Prime Minister says Pahalgam attack ‘wasn’t related’ to Pakistan
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has claimed that the deadly attack on Indian tourists in Pahalgam last month "wasn't related" to Pakistan.
In a speech on Wednesday, translated by the BBC, Sharif said his country had been "accused for the wrong" reasons.
Sharif said that he had asked for an investigation but had been rebuffed by India, who cited the Pahalgam attack as the reason for its strikes.
May 07, 2025 at 12:43 PM EDT
US, UK issue ‘do not travel’ warnings for Pakistan and India
British and American embassies in Pakistan and India have issued travel warnings.
The U.S. Embassy in Pakistan said in an alert, Wednesday, "We are aware of reports of military strikes by India into Pakistan. This remains an evolving situation, and we are closely monitoring developments. U.S. citizens are reminded of the "Do Not Travel" advisory for areas in the vicinity of the India-Pakistan border and the Line of Control due to terrorism and the potential for armed conflict."
A "Reconsider Travel" advisory has been issued across Pakistan in general.
"We advise U.S. citizens to depart areas of active conflict if they can safely do so, or to shelter in place," the alert continued.
The U.S. Embassy in India has advised citizens to avoid travel to the territories of Jammu and Kashmir.
Britain's Foreign Office has advised against travel to anywhere along the India-Pakistan border, the regions of Jammu and Kashmir and state of Manipur, Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Balochistan Province and Sindh Province.
May 07, 2025 at 12:14 PM EDT
EU’s foreign policy chief says union trying to ‘bring tensions down’ between India and Pakistan
The European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, has raised concerns over the rapidly escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.
She told reporters, ahead of a meeting of foreign ministers in Warsaw, Poland, on Wednesday, that the EU was trying to "mediate and bring the tensions down" between the two nations.
May 07, 2025 at 11:49 AM EDT
Israel ‘supports India’s right for self defense,’ says ambassador
Israel's ambassador to India says his country "supports India's right for self defense" after its strikes on Pakistan as tensions continue to escalate in the aftermath of the Pahalgam massacre.
"Terrorists should know there's no place to hide from their heinous crimes against the innocent," Reuven Azar posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Azar added the hashtag "#OperationSindoor," the codename for the Indian strikes on Pakistani targets.
Israel and India are allies with India buying more weapons from Israel than any other country, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
May 07, 2025 at 11:24 AM EDT
‘Nobody wants a war’: India’s governing party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
A spokesperson for India's governing party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said that "nobody wants a way."
Nalin Kohli told the BBC that India strikes were only targeting those "directly associated with terrorist groups" and had avoided "anything to do with the Pakistani military".
But he warned that India will not "stay away from protecting [its citizens'] rights."
He told the news outlet that they will ensure "Indian blood is not spilled...in a power game, based on a network that supports terrorists or breeds terrorists".
May 07, 2025 at 11:02 AM EDT
India-Pakistan Cricket Matches in Doubt
It looks like there won't be any cricket—the national sport of both India and Pakistan—played between the two countries for some time.
It's one of sport's most bitter rivalries.
India men's coach Gautam Gambhir said "absolutely not" when asked if India-Pakistan matches should continue, BBC Sport reported.
They only play each other in competitions such as World Cups because of long-running diplomatic tensions.
The two national teams met for the Champions Trophy in February, a match hosted by Dubai. India won.
May 07, 2025 at 10:48 AM EDT
Images Show India Strikes Damage
These two compelling images from Getty show some of the damage caused by the Indian strikes overnight on Pakistani territory.
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May 07, 2025 at 10:43 AM EDT
Pakistan Claims Indian Jets Shot Down
Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif claimed to the National Assembly that the country's forces shot down five Indian jets during the strikes last night.
Reports of the downing of Indian jets had swirled for hours, but the Indian side is yet to address the claims.
The Press Information Bureau of India, a government office, has been countering specific videos on social media purporting to show downed Indian jets.
Sharif told his lawmakers about Pakistan's response to the strikes, which has included artillery fire along the Line of Control, which separates the two countries in the Kashmir region.
"The response left the enemy in disarray and make them realized the power, prowess and strength of Pakistan as a nuclear state, and it has made them sleepless," Sharif said, according to the government-run Associated Press of Pakistan.
"Our armed forces are battle-hardened force."
May 07, 2025 at 10:33 AM EDT
Indian Army Shares Footage of ‘Terrorist Camp’ Strike
The Indian Army posted to X what it said is footage of one of its strikes on the "Mehmoona Joya Terrorist Camp at Sialkot".
"Used as control centre for revival of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir," the army said in its post.
Pakistan has disputed Indian allegations of terror camps inside its territory.
May 07, 2025 at 09:11 AM EDT
Expert: India Is Trying to Contain Conflict
Dr. Chietigj Bajpaee, a senior research fellow for South Asia in the Asia-Pacific Programme at the Chatham House think tank, told BBC Radio 4's Today that India "is trying to control the escalation ladder".
"It's obviously trying to contain the conflict, make sure that it stays below the threshold of a nuclear conflict. But, of course, this is easier said than done," Bajpaee said, noting the "risk of accidental escalation".
"There's limited external pressure on either party. And both sides have clearly developed a more assertive military posture in recent years," he said.
Bajpaee said it "remains to be seen" if the "tit-for-tat exchange suffices in appeasing both countries' domestic political constituencies and hypernationalist foreign policies" or if this "leads to a broader escalation of tensions".
He added: "As long as we don't see attacks on military installations on either side, I think there's still hope that the conflict will remain relatively contained."
May 07, 2025 at 08:33 AM EDT
UK’s Lammy: Nobody Wins if India-Pakistan Escalates
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy has called the situation "a serious concern" in a new statement.
"The UK government is urging India and Pakistan to show restraint and engage in direct dialogue to find a swift, diplomatic path forward," Lammy said.
"The UK has close and unique relationships with both countries. I have made clear to my counterparts in India and Pakistan that if this escalates further, nobody wins.
"The UK was clear in its condemnation of the horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam last month. We need all sides to work urgently to see regional stability restored and ensure protection of civilians."
Much of the India-Pakistan tensions date back to the messy and violent end of British colonial rule in the 1940s.
May 07, 2025 at 08:22 AM EDT
India Says 15 Civilians Killed in Pakistan Shelling
The Indian Army said Pakistan's shelling hit civilian areas in Poonch and Tangdhar, the IANS news agency reported, causing the deaths of 15 people and injuries to a further 43.
Both sides have claimed civilian casualties in the clashes overnight.
May 07, 2025 at 07:35 AM EDT
Pakistan Posts Video of Alleged Retaliation Against India
Pakistan's government posted to its official account on X, formerly Twitter, what it claims is a video showing its forces successfully attacking an Indian post along the Line of Control that separates the two countries.
Newsweek could not immediately verify the claim or the video, but the post shows that Pakistan is keen to demonstrate it is taking military action—albeit limited to the Line of Control so far—after India's strikes.
"Pakistan's Army continues to retaliate against Indian forces on the Line of Control," said the post, adding that it is "responding vigorously to Indian aggression."
Earlier in the day, Pakistan's National Security Council said it had authorized its military to respond to the strikes.
May 07, 2025 at 07:19 AM EDT
Russia Calls for India, Pakistan Restraint
Maria Zakharov, spokeswoman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Moscow is "deeply concerned about the growing military confrontation between India and Pakistan following the terrorist attack near the city of Pahalgam" according to the state news agency TASS.
"Russia firmly condemns acts of terrorism, opposes all its manifestations, and emphasizes the need for the entire international community to unite in the effective fight against this evil," she said at a press briefing on May 7.
"We call on all parties involved to exercise restraint in order to prevent further deterioration of the situation in the region.
"We hope that the existing disagreements between New Delhi and Islamabad will be resolved through peaceful, political and diplomatic means on a bilateral basis, in accordance with the provisions of the 1972 Simla Agreement and the 1999 Lahore Declaration."
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