De-escalation
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a phone conversation with Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Asim Munir, on Saturday amid escalating hostilities between India and Pakistan.
According to a spokesperson from the US Department of State, Rubio emphasized the urgent need for both countries to exercise restraint and find avenues to de-escalate the ongoing conflict. He also offered the United States’ assistance in facilitating constructive dialogue to prevent further deterioration and avoid the outbreak of a full-scale war.
The conversation came shortly after Pakistan announced it had launched a large-scale military operation against India earlier on Saturday. According to Pakistan’s military, the operation targeted multiple Indian military installations, including a BrahMos missile storage facility in northern India, as well as the Pathankot airfield in Punjab and the Udhampur Air Force Station in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Tensions have been rising since Wednesday when India launched airstrikes into Pakistani territory in response to a deadly attack on tourists in Pahalgam, a popular site in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
The back-and-forth strikes between the two nuclear-armed neighbours have since intensified into the most severe military confrontation in nearly three decades. The ongoing clashes have included missile strikes, drone incursions, and heavy exchanges of fire along the Line of Control (LoC), resulting in over 50 reported deaths so far.
Pakistan’s military designated the operation as “Operation Bunyanun Marsoos”—a Quranic term meaning a firm, united structure—reflecting the seriousness and coordination of its response.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed the operation via social media, while Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said on national television that great care was taken to avoid civilian casualties. He emphasized that only military targets linked to attacks on Pakistan were being struck.
Earlier, DG ISPR Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry had addressed the nation in a midnight broadcast, confirming that India had initiated hostilities by launching missile attacks targeting three Pakistani air bases. He reported that the majority of the incoming missiles were intercepted successfully and assured the public that no aircraft had been damaged.
Among the bases targeted was the Nur Khan air base in Rawalpindi, located just 10 kilometres from the capital, Islamabad. Loud explosions were heard in the city during the night, and the base—frequently used for receiving foreign dignitaries—had seen the departure of Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir only hours earlier.
In a stern warning, Lt. Gen. Chaudhry declared, “Now you just wait for our response,” signaling that further retaliation from Pakistan could be expected. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif convened a meeting of the National Command Authority, the civilian-military body that oversees the country’s nuclear arsenal, underscoring the gravity of the situation.
