There will be war Frustration and anger on the streets of Rawalpindi

The crowd gathered in an angry frenzy yesterday, their slogans ringing out across the streets of the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi. "There will be war," they cried out in unison. "The war will continue till Kashmir is freed. Till India is destroyed."

- Shah Meer Baloch, Rawalpindi Hannah Ellis-Petersen, Delhi

Just hours earlier, an alleged Indian drone had crashed amid the food stalls outside the cricket stadium, injuring a passing civilian. It was one of at least 25 drones that Pakistan claimed India had sent into Pakistani territory overnight in what they described as "another blatant military act of aggression".

The previous night, India had carried out the most extensive airstrikes on Pakistan in decades as it used missiles and drones to target nine locations across the country that it alleged were the headquarters and training camps of militant groups behind some of the deadliest terror attacks on Indian soil. Women and several children were among the 31 killed in the strikes.

As tensions soared yesterday, blasts rang out in the evening above Jammu in Indian-controlled Kashmir in a suspected Pakistani drone attack.

After India's alleged second incursion involving drones, which were shot down deep inside Pakistani territory, the mood on the streets of Rawalpindi was one of rage. The crowd had a single demand: "Attack India and destroy India," they roared. "Hail Pakistan's military."

Since the partition of India and the formation of Pakistan in 1947, the two countries have fought four wars. While people-to-people sentiments have often softened in times of peace, any sign of crossborder aggression ignites deeprooted suspicions and outright anger, and is often met with calls for powerful retaliation.