Wafric News – May 8, 2025

Tensions in Kashmir have erupted into full-blown crisis as Indian and Pakistani forces exchanged gunfire and artillery overnight, leaving dozens dead and families displaced amid one of the most dangerous escalations in decades between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

The violence comes just a day after India launched deadly missile strikes into Pakistan, claiming to have destroyed nine alleged “terrorist camps” in what it described as a “measured and non-escalatory” operation. The move followed accusations by New Delhi that Islamabad backed a recent deadly attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir—an allegation Pakistan firmly rejects.

In a national address, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed retaliation, declaring, “We will avenge each drop of the blood of these martyrs.”

The fallout has been catastrophic on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC)—the de facto border slicing through the contested region. At least 44 people, including children, have lost their lives. Pakistan reports 31 civilian deaths, while India says 13 civilians and one soldier were killed in Pakistani shelling.

One of the deadliest strikes reportedly hit an Islamic seminary near Bahawalpur, killing 13, according to Pakistan’s military.

But beyond the military toll, it’s civilians who are paying the highest price.

In Indian-administered Poonch, 29-year-old Madasar Choudhary recounted how his sister watched helplessly as two neighborhood children were fatally struck by shrapnel.

“She screamed for them to get back inside,” he said, speaking to AFP on her behalf. “But shrapnel got to the children—and they eventually died.”

Across the border in Muzaffarabad, the main city in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, Muhammad Riaz and his family are now homeless after Indian shelling reduced their home to rubble.

“There is no space at our relatives’ house,” Riaz said. “We are very upset. We have nowhere to go.”

Pakistan’s military spokesperson, Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, confirmed continued firing across the LoC on Wednesday night and said the army had been given orders to respond “at a time, place and manner of its choosing.”

India’s army also confirmed the use of small arms and artillery at multiple locations, stating that its troops “responded proportionately,” though offered few details.

The Kashmir region, disputed since the subcontinent’s partition in 1947, has long been a flashpoint between India and Pakistan. Both claim it in full but control different parts. The latest flare-up underscores the deep-rooted volatility of a region still shaped by the lines drawn by colonial rulers nearly eight decades ago.

As the situation deteriorates, the humanitarian toll continues to rise—and for many Kashmiris caught in the middle, there's no clear path to safety.