Pakistan warns of nuclear war as India-Pakistan conflict escalates

Tensions between India and Pakistan have reached a critical point following India's launch of "Operation Sindoor", a series of targeted air and missile strikes inside Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The strikes killed at least 26 people and wounded 46 others, including children, according to Pakistan.

Meanwhile, at least 15 civilians on the Indian side of the border were killed by Pakistani shelling, the BBC reports.

Amid the escalating conflict, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned that a nuclear war could break out if the standoff continues. "If they (India) impose an all-out war on the region and if such dangers arise in which there is a standoff, then at any time a nuclear war can break out," he said in an interview with Geo News. He added that the responsibility for such an outcome would lie with India.

Pakistan claimed it shot down five Indian fighter jets, including three French-made Rafales, one Russian-made Sukhoi SU-30, and one MiG-29. India acknowledged that three of its warplanes had crashed in its part of Kashmir, with all three pilots hospitalized, Reuters reported.

India said it struck nine "terrorist infrastructure" sites, some linked to an April 22 attack by Islamist militants that killed 26 people in Indian-administered Kashmir. Four sites were in Punjab and five in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, it said, emphasizing that no Pakistani military facilities were targeted.

Islamabad, however, denied that militant camps were hit, stating that six civilian locations were attacked. The deadliest strike occurred near Bahawalpur in Pakistan's Punjab province, where a mosque compound was hit, killing at least five people, including a three-year-old girl.

Bilal Mosque after it was hit by an Indian strike in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, 7 May 2025. Photo: Reuters

Pakistan vows 'befitting reply'

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called India's missile strikes an "act of war" and vowed a "befitting reply." "Pakistan has every right to respond, and a strong response is indeed being given. Our armed forces know very well how to deal with the enemy," he said.

Pakistan's military also issued a stern warning, with Army spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry saying, "Pakistan will respond to this at a time and place of its own choosing. This heinous provocation will not go unanswered."

Global calls for restraint

World leaders expressed alarm over the escalating crisis. US President Donald Trump called the rising tensions "a shame," while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged "maximum restraint." China called India's strikes "regrettable" and urged both sides to de-escalate.

Marco Rubio said on X, he was monitoring the situation closely, while adding that Washington would continue to engage the Asian neighbours to reach a "peaceful resolution."

Pakistan summoned India's Chargé d'Affaires to lodge a formal protest, calling the strikes a "blatant violation of sovereignty." Meanwhile, Bangladesh heightened border security, fearing spillover effects from the conflict.

With both nations exchanging fire and rhetoric intensifying, fears of a full-scale war – or worse, a nuclear confrontation – continue to grow.