In a major escalation of hostilities between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, Pakistan has launched a large-scale military and cyber counteroffensive in response to unprovoked missile strikes by India on multiple Pakistani airbases.
According to security sources, the Pakistan Army initiated “Operation Bunyan ul Marsoos” shortly after India targeted Nur Khan, Murid, and Shorkot airbases in a series of aggressive strikes late Friday night.
The Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR), Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, confirmed that Indian warplanes launched missiles and drone attacks, not only on Pakistan but also within Afghanistan. “India is recklessly pushing the region toward war,” he stated, assuring that all assets of the Pakistan Air Force remain secure and the armed forces are fully prepared for any escalation.
As part of its retaliatory operation, Pakistan struck at least 11 Indian military installations, including key airbases in Pathankot, Udhampur, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Brahmos missile storage sites. The Udhampur base was reportedly hit with a trio of domestically-produced Fateh-1 missiles, each with a 120km range. Other significant targets included an Indian Army brigade headquarters and a supply depot in Uri.
A cyber component of the operation reportedly crippled 70% of India’s power grid, with blackouts reported across Maharashtra following a breach into the systems of the Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company Limited (MSETCL). The attack allegedly erased electricity meter data for homes and businesses, and the scale of damage is still being assessed.
Additionally, Pakistani cyber teams hacked high-profile Indian websites, including that of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and major organizations such as the Crime Research Investigation Agency, Mahanagar Telecommunication Corporation Limited (MTCL), Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), and the All India Naval Technical Supervisory Staff Association.
A major strategic success was also reported by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), which deployed JF-17 Thunders equipped with hypersonic missiles to destroy India’s S-400 missile defense system at Adampur airbase. The high-value defense asset, worth around $1.5 billion, was reportedly obliterated along with other key installations.
The current wave of escalation stems from an Indian cross-border attack on May 7 that killed at least 31 Pakistani civilians. Pakistan responded by shooting down five Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jets — including three Rafale aircraft — and dozens of drones.
The Group of Seven (G7) nations have issued a statement urging "maximum restraint" and called for direct dialogue between Pakistan and India. The joint message, released by Canada on behalf of G7 foreign ministers, condemned the April 22 attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir but emphasized the need for immediate de-escalation to prevent further regional instability.
Both nations, locked in a decades-old dispute over Kashmir, claim the region in full but govern separate parts of it. The latest confrontations mark the most intense exchange since the Kargil conflict in the late 1990s.
