India-Pakistan escalation: What can happen next

BORDER UNREST

- Gulf News Report

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday night vowed to respond to India’s airstrikes on Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, carried out early Wednesday under Operation Sindoor.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that Islamabad intends to target only military installations in India, not civilian infrastructure.

The tone from Islamabad suggests a measured response, according to Tanvi Madan, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

"Largely on the basis of what we've seen in previous times, these are two rational actors who don't want a broader war. Both have something to lose if there is a broader conflict," she told CNN.

Fears of escalation grow

India’s strikes extended beyond the Kashmir region, hitting areas deep inside Pakistani territory. The operation drew comparisons to the 2019 Balakot airstrikes, which followed a deadly suicide bombing on Indian forces.