Explosions reported in Jammu city in Indian-administered Kashmir
Reports are coming in of multiple blasts and sirens heard in the city of Jammu in Indian-administered Kashmir.
A security source told Agence France-Presse that there were explosions at an airport in Jammu.
A witness told Reuters they saw red flashes and projectiles in the night sky above the city.
Residents told the Associated Press that they heard explosions and sirens, while local news channels reported suspected drones flying overhead in the city.
Shesh Paul Vaid, the region’s former director-general of police, said the city was witnessing a complete blackout after loud explosions.
“Bombing, shelling, or missile strikes suspected,” he wrote on social media.
Key events
Here is an image from the city of Jammu in Indian-administered Kashmir, where a blackout is in place following earlier reports of explosions and sirens.
Indian military says Pakistan launched missile and drone attacks on three military bases
The Indian armed forces said it neutralised missile and drone attacks by Pakistan on military stations in Jammu and Udhampur in Indian-administered Kashmir, and Pathankot in India’s Punjab district.
India’s defence unit said in a post on X:
Military Stations of Jammu, Pathankot and Udhampur in proximity to the International Boundary, in Jammu & Kashmir targeted by Pakistan using missiles and drones.
Protesters are expected to gather in central London this week to demonstrate against a potential war between India and Pakistan.
The South Asia Solidarity Group (SASG) announced an “emergency peace demonstration” will take place in Parliament Square on Saturday to “say no to war in the region and stand in solidarity with the Kashmiri people both sides of the border bearing the brunt of the violence”.
A Muslim Council of Britain spokesperson said in response to the protest announcement:
Now more than ever, it’s vital that communities come together to build bridges, not barriers, and work towards a just and lasting peace in the region.
The Metropolitan police said they would be engaging with organisers and would deploy officers if necessary, PA media reports.
We reported earlier that there were reports of explosions, blackouts and sirens in the city of Jammu in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Indian military sources told Reuters they suspected a Pakistani drone attack across the region, with several parts of Jammu and the surrounding towns of Akhnoor, Samba and Kathua affected. An Indian official told the news agency:
Our army installations are under attack, it is happening in five districts of Jammu [region].
Pakistani security sources have described reports of attacks in Jammu as “fabricated, baseless and a deliberate attempt to mislead”, Geo News reports.
They told the Pakistani news outlet that the claims were aimed at creating a “misleading narrative” that Pakistan is carrying out strikes in India. They said:
These fake reports are designed to justify India’s ongoing aggression against Pakistan by creating a false pretext … There is no truth to these fabricated claims.
US urges ‘immediate de-escalation’ between India and Pakistan
The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, “emphasised the need for immediate de-escalation” as he held separate calls with Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, and India’s external affairs minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, on Thursday.
A readout of the call between Rubio and Jaishankar by the US state department reads:
The Secretary emphasized the need for immediate de-escalation. He expressed US support for direct dialogue between India and Pakistan and encouraged continued efforts to improve communications.
Rubio “reiterated his condolences for the horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam and reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to work with India in the fight against terrorism,” the readout says.
A top Chinese-made Pakistani fighter shot down at least two Indian military aircraft on Wednesday, Reuters reports, citing US officials.
A US official told the news agency that there was high confidence that Pakistan had used the Chinese-made J-10 aircraft to launch air-to-air missiles against Indian fighter jets, bringing down at least two.
Another official said at least one Indian jet that was shot down was a French-made Rafale fighter aircraft.
India has not acknowledged the loss of any of its planes.
A blackout is affecting Jammu city in Indian-administered Kashmir amid reports of multiple explosions.
Blackouts are also affecting the cities of Hoshiarpur and Amritsar in the Punjab state, the Hindustan Times reports.
Explosions reported in Jammu city in Indian-administered Kashmir
Reports are coming in of multiple blasts and sirens heard in the city of Jammu in Indian-administered Kashmir.
A security source told Agence France-Presse that there were explosions at an airport in Jammu.
A witness told Reuters they saw red flashes and projectiles in the night sky above the city.
Residents told the Associated Press that they heard explosions and sirens, while local news channels reported suspected drones flying overhead in the city.
Shesh Paul Vaid, the region’s former director-general of police, said the city was witnessing a complete blackout after loud explosions.
“Bombing, shelling, or missile strikes suspected,” he wrote on social media.
India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, called for “continued alertness” and “clear communication” during a meeting with government ministers on Thursday.
Modi reaffirmed his government’s commitment to national security and operational preparedness during the high-level meeting, the Hindustan Times reported.
They marked his first comments since the recent escalation in hostilities between India and Pakistan.
The meeting also covered issues including the strengthening of civil defence mechanisms, efforts to counter misinformation and fake news, and ensuring the security of critical infrastructure, according to the Indian prime minister’s office.
The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, called Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, on Thursday and stressed the need for India and Pakistan to work closely to de-escalate their conflict, Sharif’s office said in a statement.
Flights remained suspended at more than two dozen airports across northern and western regions in India, according to travel advisories by multiple airlines.
Pakistan resumed flights nationwide after a suspension at four airports, according to the Civil Aviation Authority.
Here is another image from Uri, in the India-controlled portion of Kashmir, where it appears that shelling from Pakistan has destroyed residential buildings.
Reuters is carrying the quote from Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif now, reporting that he said Pakistani retaliation “is increasingly becoming certain now. I will still refrain from saying it is 100%. But the situation has become very difficult. We have to respond.”
India’s ministry of information and broadcasting has issued a notice instructing that over-the-top media services, i.e. those that digitally distribute content to users directly over the internet, must remove content that originates from Pakistan.
In a statement the ministry said:
In the interest of national security, all OTT platforms, media streaming platforms and intermediaries operating in India are advised to discontinue the web-series, films, songs, podcasts and other streaming media content, whether made available on a subscription based model or otherwise, having its origins in Pakistan with immediate effect.
