New Delhi: Panic has gripped military cantonments across Pakistan’s Sindh and Punjab provinces as mass evacuations are underway following India’s decisive response to a failed aerial intrusion by Pakistan. The evacuations, reported in areas including Kasur, Bahawalnagar, Sialkot, Sheikhupura and Narowal, come in the wake of heightened tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, sparked by India’s Operation Sindoor and Pakistan’s subsequent retaliatory attempts.
Pakistan launched attacks in 11 Indian cities last night, all of which were successfully thwarted by Indian forces. In response, India carried out strikes in eight locations across Pakistan, including Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The Indian military also shot down 50 Pakistani drones and intercepted eight missiles in Jammu using its advanced air defence systems. As panic spread, Pakistan began evacuating its border areas.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reached out to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, while Senator JD Vance stated that the US would not interfere in the matter. Meanwhile, Pakistan appealed to multiple countries to pressure India to halt its operations. Despite this, Pakistani forces continued firing along the Line of Control (LoC) throughout the night. In another development, the BSF successfully foiled an infiltration attempt in the Samba sector.
India-Pak tensions
The current tensions between the two countries stems from India’s Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7, 2025, targeting nine terrorist infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The operation was a response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 people, mostly tourists.
India’s precision strikes, conducted using Rafale jets and surface-to-surface missiles, hit bases linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), including strongholds in Muridke and Bahawalpur. The Indian Ministry of Defence said that the strikes were “focused, measured, and non-escalatory,” targeting only terrorist facilities and avoiding civilian or military sites.
