Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated, with reports of drone incidents, missile strikes, and cross-border firing leading to multiple deaths and injuries.
On Thursday, at least one person was killed after Pakistani forces shot down a suspected Indian drone and found the wreckage of two more in the Punjab and Sindh provinces, according to local broadcaster Geo TV.
Two farmers were injured when one of the drones crashed near the Indian border in Ghotki district in southern Sindh. One of them later died at a nearby hospital, said local police chief Samiullah Soomro.
In another incident, Pakistani troops shot down a suspected Indian drone in Punjab’s Gujranwala district on Wednesday. The wreckage landed in a field, but no injuries were reported, according to Deputy Commissioner Naveed Ahmad.
Police also discovered drone wreckage in the Dhman area of Punjab’s Chakwal district. No casualties were reported there either.
Meanwhile, residents in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, reported hearing at least three loud explosions near an airport.
In response to the escalating situation, Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority closed the country’s airspace to all commercial flights on Thursday morning.
The latest developments follow a wave of missile attacks and gunfire across the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border that separates Indian-administered and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
According to the Pakistani military, at least 31 people were killed and 57 injured in missile strikes and cross-border firing in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. One additional person died in the Ghotki drone crash.
India’s Foreign Ministry reported that 13 people were killed and 59 injured on its side of the LoC. The Indian army confirmed the death of one soldier in the region.
The Indian military accused Pakistan of “unprovoked” gunfire using small arms and artillery across several areas in Jammu and Kashmir, including Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, and Akhnoor. Pakistan has not yet responded to this claim.
In retaliation for Indian airstrikes on what New Delhi described as “nine terror locations,” the Pakistani military claimed it shot down five Indian fighter jets and one combat drone. The downed aircraft reportedly included three French-made Rafale jets. India has not officially commented on this claim.
