Pakistan authorizes military response after India strikes

Chietigj Bajpaee, a senior research fellow for South Asia in the Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House, told DW the situation between India and Pakistan is "very precarious."

"There is a very real risk of an accidental escalation," he said. "The situation has escalated beyond what we saw back in 2016 and 2019, both in terms of India's actions and Pakistan's response."

Despite this, there has been "limited external pressure on either country to try and restrain their actions."

Bajpaee said while the United States has played a significant role in the past to help mediate between the Asian neighbors, other countries, "like the Gulf Arab states," could potentially be more involved this time around.

"The UAE in particular helped to broker a ceasefire along the Line of Control, which demarcates Indian and Pakistan-administered Kashmir in 2021," he said.

Asked what influence neighboring China might have, Bajpaee said, "China's position is far from neutral," saying that it is party to the dispute over Kashmir.

"China accounts for over 80% of Pakistan's arms imports over the last five years," he said. "China has also resisted or blocked India's efforts to designate Pakistan-based terrorist organizations as global terrorists of the United Nations."

US President Donald Trump expressed his willingness to help end the India-Pakistan hostilities. 

"I want to see it stop. And if I can do anything to help, I will be there," he told reporters at the White House. 

"My position is, I get along with both. I know both very well and I want to see them work it out," he added.

In 2019, during Trump's first term, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo intervened when tensions increased between the neighboring Asian countries.

Pompeo wrote in his memoir, "Never Give an Inch," that the India-Pakistan rivalry came close to turning into a nuclear war.

Ajai Sahni, executive director of the Institute for Conflict Management in New Delhi, told DW that he does not foresee an all-out war between India and Pakistan.

"Both sides have emphasized they seek not to escalate the conflict and both sides are clearly committed to it, because neither side can afford an escalation," he said.

Sahni expected that Pakistan would respond to India's airstrikes in a symbolic manner. 

"It is important for them to be able to go back to their constituencies and tell them, 'We've done something great.' Reality will have very little to do with these claims," he said. 

As for India, he said its action was likely to show "that lines have been redrawn, that provocations will not go entirely unpunished."

Ultimately, Sahni believes both countries will seek to claim minor victories and then return to their usual state of relations.

Maleeha Lodhi, a former Pakistani representative to the UN, spoke to DW about Pakistan's potential response to Indian strikes on Wednesday.

"Pakistan is concerned with re-establishing deterrence so that these attacks every three years or two years don't become the new normal," Lodhi said. "The nature of how Pakistan will retaliate, the scope of its retaliation, we don't know. But certainly Pakistan is readying itself to launch a reprisal against India."

India has said the sites it targeted were used by Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, both of which are Islamist groups designated as terrorist organizations by the United Nations. India also blames Lashkar-e-Taiba for the Kashmir attack last month. Asked if attacks against such groups in Pakistan were understandable, Lodhi replied: "It's understandable if you apply the law of the jungle, but it's not understandable if you want countries to adhere to and observe international law.

"India produced not a shred of evidence to show who carried out the attack, which of course we all condemned," Lodhi added. "It was a terrible attack in Kashmir … but to act unilaterally, militarily, in a nuclear environment is, I think, extreme irresponsibility." 

The Indian Embassy in China has dismissed as "disinformation" reports that Pakistan had shot down several Indian fighter jets.

The diplomatic mission was responding to a social media post on X by China's state-run Global Times, which said that Pakistan had downed the warplanes in response to Indian missile strikes on Pakistan.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has congratulated Pakistan's armed forces for their reported response to an overnight incursion by Indian fighter jets. 

Sharif said five Indian aircraft had been shot down after they released their payloads.

In a speech to parliament, he said the Pakistan Air Force had been on high alert since India had sought to implicate Pakistan in an April 22 attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir.

He said that, while he had offered an international probe into the attack, New Delhi had not responded to the proposal.

Sharif also said that, on the night of April 29, Indian Rafale jets took off in a combat formation, but that Pakistan had successfully jammed their communications.

"The enemy couldn't even understand what had happened to them," and the jets turned back, Sharif said.

Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has said New Delhi had exercised its "right to respond" in launching strikes in Pakistan to avenge the killings of innocent civilians on Indian soil last month.

"We killed only those who killed our innocents," Singh said at a public program.

"Our strike was well-planned and executed with precision and sensitiveness. It was restricted to terror targets and dismantling terror infrastructure," Singh added.

Islamabad has said six Pakistani locations had been targeted, and that none of them were Pakistani military sites. The Pakistani military says at least 26 civilians were killed and 46 wounded.

Former Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar says India has been unable to justify its pre-dawn strikes on Pakistani soil and Pakistani-administered Kashmir.

Speaking to DW, Khar said the strikes were conducted "on evidence or shreds of evidence" that Pakistan had backed the April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir.

The former minister said evidence of that has "still not even been provided to Pakistan or to the international community."

"India and Pakistan have obviously had this rivalry, and we do believe — and have very good evidence that has been provided to the United Nations Security Council — that India has its hands all over much of the Baloch insurgency and repeatedly finances terrorism in Pakistan," said Khar.

"For India to make a claim against Pakistan — maybe it's right. But for India to act on something without giving any evidence to Pakistan to solve this problem, if it even exists, or to the world to be able to convince — they think they have the impunity to be able to do what they will without any questions asked."

Watch the entire interview below:

France and Germany have said they are highly concerned by clashes between India and Pakistan as new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met French President Emmanuel Macron.

Merz called for reason to prevail on both sides as he visited Paris on his first trip abroadsince taking office Tuesday.

"We are deeply worried by last night's clashes between these two nuclear powers," Merz said at a press conference, adding that "now more than ever... reason and clear-headedness are required."

The Pakistani government has authorized the military to "undertake corresponding actions" after India said it struck infrastructure used by militants in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Despite Pakistan telling its military to respond, Shamil Shams from DW's Asia desk says Islamabad might decide against any further escalation.

Shams said Pakistan may be satisfied with having shot down Indian jets, as its military is claiming, and that India might also seek no further confrontation.

"In my view, Pakistan has responded to the attacks by India in terms of what the Pakistani authorities are claiming — that they have shot down the jets and they have retaliated."

"I think the Pakistani authorities have achieved this kind of propaganda, this narrative."

"What India wanted to achieve, Prime Minister Modi's government, it has in a way achieved that."

"A further escalation — that Pakistan goes out and attacks on Indian soil — would blow it out of proportion. I don't think Pakistani authorities would like to escalate further."

The European Union has urged India and Pakistan to act immediately to de-escalate after the most serious military confrontation between the neighbors in two decades.

"We do urge both sides to show restraint and take immediate steps towards de-escalation," EU foreign affairs spokesman Anouar El Anouni told reporters.

"The EU recalls the need for a negotiated, agreed and lasting, peaceful solution to the conflict."

Turkey has urged India and Pakistan to act with "common sense" amid the military escalation, with the Turkish Foreign Ministry saying India's latest military action created the risk of an "all-out war."

"We condemn this provocative initiative as well as the attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure."

Ankara urged both sides to "refrain from unilateral actions" and take the necessary steps to reduce tensions, "including in the field of  counter-terrorism."

In its statement, the ministry reiterated its support for Pakistan's call for a probe into the Islamist militant attack that killed 26 in the Indian-administered side of the Himalayan region on April 22.

Meanwhile, Iran voiced "deep concern" and called on both sides to "exercise restraint."

Iran, which borders Pakistan and enjoys good relations with India, had offered to mediate after last month's attack sparked the latest tensions.

The German government has voiced its concern about the escalating situation between South Asia's two nuclear-armed powers.

"Following the horrific terrorist attack in Kashmir and the Indian military response to it, responsible action from both countries is urgently needed," a Foreign Office statement said. 

"Escalation must be prevented and civilians protected. We are in contact with India and Pakistan. We continue to monitor the situation very closely."

The Foreign Office said it would host a meeting of the government's crisis committee on Wednesday.

It also urged Germans in the region to follow government travel and safety advice.

The crisis has made for a dramatic start to the term of office of Germany's new Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who was only sworn into office on Tuesday.

Click here for more news about Germany and its new government.

The Pakistani government has authorized the military to "undertake corresponding actions" after India's strikes.

"These unprovoked and unjustified attacks deliberately targeted the civilian areas, on the false pretext of presence of imaginary terrorist camps, resulting in the martyrdom of innocent men, women, and children, and causing damage to the civilian infrastructure, including mosques," an Information Ministry statement said.

"In consonance with Article 51 of the UN Charter, Pakistan reserves the right to respond, in self-defense, at a time, place, and manner of its choosing to avenge the loss of innocent Pakistani lives and blatant violation of its sovereignty."

"The Armed Forces of Pakistan have duly been authorized to undertake corresponding actions in this regard," the ministry said.

Pakistan's National Security Committee said India had "ignited an inferno in the region," and that responsibility for the ensuing consequences lies squarely with New Delhi.

The committee said the world must hold India "accountable."

In August 2019, India revoked Article 370 of its constitution, stripping Jammu and Kashmir of its semi-autonomous status to be ruled directly from New Delhi.

The move triggered a major escalation in tensions with Pakistan, which strongly opposed the decision and downgraded diplomatic ties. India deployed tens of thousands of additional troops, imposed curfews, shut down internet services, and detained local political leaders. The region was placed under a heavy security lockdown for months, drawing criticism from international human rights organizations.

Indian security forces carried out intensified counterinsurgency operations, resulting in the deaths of numerous suspected militants. However, these operations often led to civilian casualties.

India accused Pakistan of continuing to support militant infiltration across the Line of Control, which Pakistan denies.

A 2021 ceasefire brought temporary calm, but skirmishes and unrest resumed. China’s border tensions and economic ties with Pakistan have added complexity to the dispute.

The region remained volatile, with delayed elections, restricted freedoms, and ongoing sporadic violence, even before the April 22 Pahalgam Attack sparked the latest crisis.