India and Pakistan were like, totally going at it with intense artillery and missile fire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir on Wednesday, May 7. This all started after India decided to do some air strikes late on Tuesday, May 6, on what they claimed were terrorist camps in Pakistan-controlled territory. The South Asian neighbors have been fighting over this disputed region since they got independence from British rule in 1947. It’s pretty bad, with at least 38 people dead. Pakistan said 26 of them were civilians, including four kids. India, on the other hand, said 12 people died from Pakistan’s return shelling. Like, seriously, dozens more were injured on both sides.
So, like, what led to all this drama? Well, on April 22, some gunmen attacked a group of Hindu tourists in Pahalgam, in Indian-administered Kashmir, and killed 26 people. India was all like, “It’s Lashkar-e-Taiba’s fault,” which is a Pakistan-based group listed as a terrorist organization by the United Nations. Pakistan was like, “Nah, we didn’t do it,” but things got heated real quick after that.
India was like, “Enough is enough,” and on the night of May 6, they sent their warplanes and missiles to take out what they called “terrorist training sites” in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. The Indian Army was all proud, saying they destroyed nine camps. They were like, “These strikes were focused, measured, and non-escalatory.”
Well, Pakistan wasn’t having it. Just hours later, at the crack of dawn on May 7, they started firing artillery across the LoC and boasted about shooting down five Indian fighter jets. An Indian official, speaking anonymously, confirmed that three jets crashed on Indian soil.
The situation is pretty intense right now. Border areas are swarming with military peeps, according to AFP. In Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, some homes near a mosque got messed up. In Indian-held Poonch, 12 peeps died from shells falling overnight. Both countries reported civilians running for their lives from their homes.
This isn’t the first time this has happened, you know. Back in February 2019, India did airstrikes in Pakistan after a suicide bombing killed 40 Indian soldiers. But experts are saying this current violence is even more serious because of the scale of the attacks and civilian deaths.
The rest of the world is all like, “Whoa, chill out.” The United Nations, United States, China, and Russia are all calling for everyone to take a step back. US President Donald Trump was like, “I hope this ends real quick.” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is keeping a close eye on things after talking to both governments. Major airlines are rerouting or canceling flights in the area.
Analysts are warning that things are super tense right now. The International Crisis Group is saying this could get even worse than the 2019 crisis if both sides don’t calm down. Iran is trying to help out by mediating – its foreign minister is swinging by New Delhi after having a chat in Islamabad earlier this week.
The whole India-Pakistan situation has been going on since 1947 when British India split into two countries. Kashmir has been a major headache because it’s mostly Muslim but was ruled by a Hindu king. Both India and Pakistan wanted control of it, leading to three wars over the region in 1947, 1965, and 1999. Even though they’ve made agreements and had ceasefires, the problem still ain’t solved.
Oh, and get this – earlier this week, some news was floating around that Pakistan was running low on artillery shells after selling a bunch of them to Ukraine and maybe Israel. But Pakistan was like, “Nah, we didn’t sell any to Israel,” and they made it clear they don’t really dig Israel. Indian news is saying Pakistani ammo factories are running low after selling a ton of stuff to Ukraine.
So, yeah, things are pretty crazy right now between India and Pakistan. Who knows what’s gonna happen next? The world is watching, hoping for some peace to finally come.
