India claimed on Thursday to have destroyed a Pakistani air defense system in Lahore using drones—an action that marks a troubling qualitative leap in tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations. The target, a military installation, raises the stakes beyond the usual skirmishes.
A day earlier, the Indian army had bombed what it described as “nine terrorist targets” in areas under Pakistani control, in retaliation for the April 22 massacre of Hindu tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir. According to New Delhi, the radar destroyed in Lahore was being used to track and neutralize Indian air force assets. Officials insist the strike was “proportional,” referring to Pakistan’s alleged downing of Indian warplanes the previous night—an assertion India flatly denies.
Islamabad rejects India’s narrative, accusing its military of using the incident as a pretext to escalate the conflict. Pakistani officials say they carried out a coordinated drone offensive against military installations in at least fifteen Indian cities. “When we respond, it will be decisive and visible to the world. It won’t matter what the Indian press says,” a Pakistani military spokesperson warned. Hours later, the city of Jammu was plunged into darkness following a drone strike.
Rather than de-escalating, the Kashmir dispute is taking on an increasingly technological and lethal dimension. In Lahore, residents were awakened by powerful explosions in the early hours, later confirmed by authorities. Both sides claim to have downed about 25 drones each.
Tensions rose further after India allegedly destroyed at least two mosques with missiles in Bahawalpur and Muzaffarabad. In response, Pakistan bombed a Sikh temple in Indian-administered Kashmir on Thursday, killing three worshippers. The attack has rekindled old traumas in the region—now over 95% Muslim, excluding Indian troops—such as the 2000 Chittisinghpura massacre of 35 Sikhs and, years earlier, the forced exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits, many of whom still live in displacement camps in Jammu.
Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri referenced these events and provided details about “Operation Sindur,” which he said was aimed at verified terrorist hideouts. “If they were civilians, why were three of them given a state funeral—with Pakistani flags on their coffins, surrounded by military personnel, and under heavy security?” Misri asked rhetorically, showing a photo from the burial to reporters.
Meanwhile, Pakistan claimed to have shot down five Indian fighter jets within hours, though it later walked back claims of capturing pilots. India, for its part, has refused to acknowledge any such losses. Photos of aircraft debris found in Kashmir suggest that the truth may lie somewhere in between.
The conflict is already affecting financial markets. Shares of Dassault—the French manufacturer of India’s Rafale jets—have remained stable, while China’s AVIC, which produces Pakistan’s J-10 and J-20 fighters, saw a 40% surge on the Shenzhen stock exchange in just two days. However, the grim news from the front caused Karachi’s stock market to tumble nearly 7% on Thursday, prompting a temporary trading halt.
