Pakistan’s military announced on Sunday that it anticipates a fragile calm along the border with India, as senior military officials from both nations maintain communication following a series of missile attacks and airstrikes that lasted four days.
Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, spokesman for Pakistan’s armed forces, stated during an interview at the military’s General Headquarters in Rawalpindi that “top military officers from both sides are in contact, a mechanism is in place.”
The conflict began on May 7 when India launched military strikes against Pakistan in response to a terrorist attack it attributed to Pakistan, which Islamabad denied. The situation escalated, resulting in attacks on military bases in both countries until a cease-fire was mediated by the United States on May 10.
Reports indicate that India has lost five soldiers, while Pakistan has reported 11 fatalities, in addition to civilian casualties from shelling along the contested Kashmir border.
In the aftermath of the military confrontation, both countries have claimed victory. General Chaudhry confirmed that India targeted the Nur Khan air base near Islamabad and other locations with cruise missiles on May 10, with satellite images corroborating damage at these sites. However, Pakistani officials assert that the strikes resulted in only minor damage and that their operational capacity remains intact.
Pakistani military officials claimed to have targeted 26 military sites in India on the same day as the Indian strikes, although they have not provided satellite imagery to support these claims. General Chaudhry also asserted that Pakistan’s air force shot down six Indian warplanes, including three Rafale jets, while India has not acknowledged any aircraft losses, despite evidence suggesting otherwise. He criticized India for not being transparent about its losses.
“We have been very transparent — about the attacks on our bases, our loss of lives,” he stated. “Has India done the same?”