Pakistan increasing troop deployment along border, says Indian military
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NEW DELHI: Pakistan is increasing its deployment of troops along the border, the Indian military said on Saturday (May 10) as tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours soared, with Pakistan launching a military operation against India.
The Pakistan army has been observed to be moving its troops into forward areas, "indicating offensive intent to further escalate the situation", an Indian military spokesperson told a media briefing.
"Indian armed forces remain in a high state of operational readiness," she said. "Indian armed forces reiterate their commitment to non-escalation, provided it is reciprocated by the Pakistan military."
The Indian army earlier that Pakistan was continuing its "blatant escalation" with drone strikes and using other munitions along India's western border, and its "enemy designs" would be thwarted.
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Multiple "enemy armed drones" were spotted over the holy city of Amritsar in India's border state of Punjab, the army said in a post on X.
"The hostile drones were instantly engaged and destroyed by our air defence units. Pakistan’s blatant attempt to violate India’s sovereignty and endanger civilians is unacceptable."
Pakistan's planning minister said on local television that "special measures" had been taken to avoid civilian targets and that they were targeting locations that had been used to target Pakistan.
Following the announcement of Pakistan's retaliation, residents in Indian-controlled Kashmir said they heard loud explosions at multiple places in the region, including the two big cities of Srinagar and Jammu, and the garrison town of Udhampur.
“Explosions that we are hearing today are different from the ones we heard the last two nights during drone attacks,” said Shesh Paul Vaid, the region’s former top police official and Jammu resident. “It looks like a war here.”
Vaid said explosions were heard from areas with military bases.
Srinagar appeared calm early Saturday but some residents in neighbourhoods close to the city’s airport, which is also an air base, said they were rattled by the explosions and booming sound of fighter jets.
“I was already awake but the explosions jolted my kids out of their sleep. They started crying,” said Srinagar resident Mohammed Yasin, adding he heard at least two explosions.
In Pakistan, the civil aviation authority said the country's airports were shut for all flight operations.
Locked in a longstanding dispute over Kashmir, the two countries have engaged in daily clashes since Wednesday when India launched strikes inside Pakistan on what it called "terrorist infrastructure".
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Pakistan's Army Chief General Asim Munir on Friday and urged both Pakistan and India to find ways to de-escalate, a US Department of State spokesperson said.
Rubio also offered US assistance in starting constructive talks in order to avoid future conflicts, the spokesperson said.
The Group of Seven nations, or G7, urged “maximum restraint” from India and Pakistan. It warned Friday that further military escalation posed a serious threat to regional stability.
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