HT Digital
NEW DELHI, May 10: Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated sharply as India launched airstrikes on three key Pakistani airbases—Nur Khan (Rawalpindi), Murid (Chakwal), and Rafiqui (Jhang).
The strikes followed a public statement by Pakistan’s military spokesperson, Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry, during a press briefing early Friday. The Indian response is seen as retaliation for a wave of Pakistani drone attacks along its border late Friday night.
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Pakistan’s drone offensive reportedly targeted 26 sites across Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Gujarat, injuring civilians in Ferozepur, Punjab. Explosions were also reported early Saturday in Srinagar, Jammu, Rajouri, and Udhampur, amid intensified shelling. The precision and scope of India’s air counterstrike indicate a significant escalation in hostilities.
In response, Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority suspended all flights from 3:15 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on May 10, 2025. The growing conflict has drawn international alarm, with the G7 nations and the European Union issuing a joint appeal urging both sides to exercise maximum restraint. They also condemned the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, which claimed 26 lives—most of them tourists.
The violence turned tragic in Rajouri, where Additional District Development Commissioner Raj Kumar Thappa was killed Saturday morning after Pakistani shelling struck his residence. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah mourned Thappa’s death, noting his recent involvement in key government activities.
Reacting to global calls for calm, Abdullah criticized what he called the hypocrisy of the international community. On platform X (formerly Twitter), he posted: “I don’t know how the ‘International Community’ expects the present tension in the subcontinent to be de-escalated when the IMF effectively reimburses Pakistan for all the ordnance it is employing to destroy Poonch, Rajouri, Uri, Tangdhar & so many other places.”
