A sharp military escalation between India and Pakistan, on Wednesday, May 7, left at least nine civilians dead and 38 injured in Jammu and Kashmir, following India’s targeted air and missile strikes on alleged terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) under Operation Sindoor.
According to the Indian Express, Indian officials reported that retaliatory shelling by Pakistan on May 6 and May 7 hit multiple civilian areas in Jammu and Kashmir, killing six people in Poonch, one in Mendhar, and injuring two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel. A shell reportedly landed at a bus stand in Poonch.
“During the night of 06-07 May 2025, the Pakistan Army resorted to arbitrary firing, including artillery shelling from posts across the Line of Control and IB opposite J&K,” Lt Colonel Suneel Baratwal, PRO (Defence), Northern Command, told IE.
Heavy cross-border fire was reported in several sectors, including Krishna Ghati, Shahpur and Mankote in Poonch, Laam, Manjakote and Gambeer Brahmana in Rajouri, and Uri and Tangdhar in Kashmir. According to reports, authorities have shut down schools and colleges across five border districts — Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Rajouri and Poonch — and airports in Jammu, Srinagar and Leh suspended operations.
Earlier in the day, the Indian armed forces had launched ‘Operation Sindoor’, targeting nine terrorist locations believed to be involved in the planning and execution of the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 that left 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen dead.
The joint operation by the Army, Navy, and Air Force struck sites in Bahawalpur, Muridke, Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Gulpur, Bhimber, Chak Amru, and Sialkot.
“A little while ago, the Indian Armed Forces launched ‘Operation Sindoor’, hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed,” said an Army press release.
“Altogether, nine sites have been targeted. Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted,” the statement added. It also said that India exercised “considerable restraint” in both the selection of targets and the methods used.
In response, the Pakistani military confirmed the Indian strikes. Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, Director General of the Pakistani ISPR, termed the strikes a “cowardly attack” and confirmed that Indian missiles had hit Kotli, Bahawalpur and Muzaffarabad.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called it an “act of war” and stated, “Pakistan has every right to respond forcefully to this act of war imposed by India, and a forceful response is being given.”
He added, “We will never allow the enemy to succeed in their nefarious goals. The morale and spirit of the entire Pakistani nation are high.”
The sharp military exchange follows the Pahalgam attack, which officials say triggered the need for a swift retaliatory response. While India maintains that its operation was limited and did not target any Pakistani military facility, the situation at the border remains tense.