Pakistan says it would consider de-escalation if India halts further attacks

Both countries traded strikes on Saturday

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister said on Saturday his country would consider de-escalation if India stopped attacks. This came after India said it was committed to non-escalation if Pakistan reciprocated.

India and Pakistan, both of which rule Kashmir in part, fired missiles at each other Saturday, escalating the violence between the two nuclear-armed neighbours for a fourth day.

At least 13 civilians were killed in Pakistani Kashmir in 12 hours, the region's disaster authority said, and more than 50 people were injured.

The heightened tensions have pushed the tit-for-tat military action to the most dangerous levels in years. Both sides have been shooting missiles and drones over densely populated cities, prompting the US and other countries to seek a diplomatic solution.

Ishaq Dar, Pakistan's Foreign Minister, said that if India launched any strikes, “our response will follow.”

Mr Dar told Pakistan’s Geo News that he also conveyed this message to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio when he contacted him after speaking to New Delhi.

“We responded because our patience had reached its limit. If they stop here, we will also consider stopping,” he said.

Airports shut on both sides

Pakistan's airspace was shut on Saturday, after the military said India had launched a series of attacks on airbases.

Airspace will remain closed for all kinds of flights until 12 o'clock on Sunday, the statement said.

A child looks on after taking refuge at a school in Jammu, Indian-administered Kashmir, following an exchange of shelling and small arms fire across the border. Getty Images

Streaks of light in the skies over the city of Jammu in Indian-administered Kashmir, during a suspected drone attack from the Pakistan side. Getty Images

A Pakistani paramilitary trooper keeps guard at Karachi Port. Reuters

A candlelight vigil for victims of a Indian missile strike on Bilal Mosque in Muzaffarabad, Pakistani-administered Kashmir. EPA

Security personnel at Karachi Port, southern Pakistan. EPA

Lorries gridlocked near Pakistan's Karachi Port following the military escalation between New Delhi and Islamabad. EPA

India's air defence system intercepts objects during a blackout following blasts in the city of Jammu, in Indian-administered Kashmir. Reuters

The damaged Jamia Masjid Subhan Allah compound after an Indian strike on the outskirts of Bahawalpur in Pakistan's Punjab province. AFP

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addressing the special session at the National Assembly in Islamabad. AFP

Villagers carry their belongings as they move to safer areas after authorities evacuated residents living near the border at Jeora Farm on the outskirts of Jammu. AFP

National Cadet Corps cadets shout slogans after conducting an emergency simulation drill as part of the nationwide civil defence mock drills in Amritsar. AFP

National Disaster Response Force, civil defence and fire personnel conduct an air raid drill at Khan market in New Delhi. EPA

An artillery shell lands in the main town of Poonch district in India's Jammu region on Wednesday as Pakistani troops launch shells from across the Line of Control in retaliation for Indian missile strikes. AFP

Poonch locals load their belongings on a bus as they flee the shelling. AFP

Workers paint a red cross symbol on the roof of a hospital to deter a potential attack in Srinagar, in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. AFP

Indian school pupils take part in a drill at Rajkiya Sarvodaya Vidyalaya in New Delhi. EPA

Another Pakistani shell hits Poonch. AFP

Rescuers search for survivors after India struck a building in a government-run complex in Muridke, Pakistan, about 30km from Lahore. AFP

The mosque of an Islamic seminary partially damaged by an Indian missile attack, on the outskirts of Bahawalpur, Pakistan. AP

Residents are evacuated from an area close to the site of an Indian missile attack, near Muzaffarabad. AP

Bilal mosque lies in ruins after being struck by Indian missiles in Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir. AP

Volunteers load a body into an ambulance after recovering it from the rubble of a mosque building damaged by a suspected Indian missile attack near Muzaffarabad. AP

A lorry transports an army tank on a road in Muridke, about 30km from Lahore. AFP

Indian Air Force personnel patrol on the outskirts of Srinagar. EPA

Indian troops patrol a security checkpoint on the outskirts of Srinagar. EPA

Passengers stranded at Jinnah International airport after all domestic and international flights were cancelled in Karachi. AFP

Protesters burn an Indian flag during a demonstration condemning Indian missile strikes in Hyderabad, Pakistan. AP

India also announced the closure of 32 airports in the northern and western parts of the country, and suspended 25 air route segments, until May 15.

India said its neighbour had launched at least 300 drones and fired “heavy-calibre weapons” near the Pakistani border overnight. It said the fighting was endangering civilian aircraft, highlighting a flight from Dammam in Saudi Arabia to Karachi that could have been in the firing line.

New Delhi said the Indian military had shown “considerable restraint” to prevent harm to passenger air traffic. The Pakistani military, meanwhile, reported an hour-long air battle as it vowed not to back down.

Overnight strikes and retaliation

Overnight on Friday, Pakistan's armed forces said three of its airbases had been attacked by Indian missiles, including one on the outskirts of the capital Islamabad near the army headquarters.

“India, with its naked aggression, has attacked with missiles. Nur Khan base, Murid base and Shorkot base have been targeted,” military spokesman Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said in a live broadcast on state television.

Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi, where the military has its headquarters, is about 10km from the capital Islamabad.

Pakistan said the majority of the missiles were intercepted by air defence systems, and those that made it through did not hit targets.

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Mr Chaudhry told India after the strikes, “Now you just wait for our response.”

Pakistan’s army said later that it had hit Indian airbases and other military sites in Punjab state and the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir region.

India's state broadcaster claimed that Pakistan had launched retaliatory measures, Reuters reported.

India’s army said in a post on X it repelled drone attacks from Pakistan, including at Khasa Cantonment in the northern city of Amritsar, the site of an Indian military station.

The military said that Pakistan is increasing its presence on the border.

Indian troops in the Kashmir region, during the war with Pakistan in 1965. All photos: AP

Pakistani soldiers take cover during shelling from Indian forces, in the Jessore area of East Pakistan in 1971.

Indian artillery guns are engulfed in smoke in Dras, 155km north of Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir, amid fighting in 1999.

A village in Pakistan-administered Kashmir near the Line of Control, which divides India and Pakistan.

An Indian soldier takes cover near the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai, during a gun battle with militants in 2008.

Indian soldiers conduct a search operation outside the Pathankot airbase, after an attack by extremists in 2016.

A fire burns at a residential building where militants are thought to have taken refuge during a deadly attack in Pulwama, Indian-administered Kashmir, in 2019.

Security officers at the site of a deadly attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, in April 2025.

Calls for de-escalation and direct communication

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan spoke to his Indian and Pakistani counterparts on efforts to de-escalate tensions and end military confrontations, the foreign ministry said.

Prince Faisal "affirmed the kingdom's commitment to the security and stability of the region and its close and balanced relations with both friendly countries.”

Mr Rubio also spoke to Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and urged for de-escalation and direct communication between the two nations, the State Department said. He offered US assistance in starting "constructive talks" to avoid future conflicts.

The strikes came after Pakistan's military said on Friday it “will not de-escalate” from soaring tension with India.

The Group of Seven countries urged maximum restraint from both nuclear-armed powers and called on them to engage in direct dialogue.

China also expressed “deep concern” over the escalating situation between India and Pakistan and offered to play a constructive role in resolving the matter, according to a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

“China is closely monitoring the current situation between India and Pakistan,” the Foreign Ministry said in a post published on its website.

The latest outbreak of cross-border violence comes after armed gunmen killed 26 people in the Himalayan tourist spot of Pahalgam in the Kashmir valley last month. India accused Pakistan of backing the attack, which Islamabad has denied.

With reporting from agencies