Nikhil Inamdar
Reporting from London

The border conflict with India couldn’t have come at a worse time for Pakistan. Its economy has just begun to recover from an abyss.

Gross domestic product (GDP) barely grew in 2023 amid rising import bills, dwindling foreign exchange reserves and spiralling inflation. In 2024, Pakistan clocked 2.5% growth, and is slated to grow at 3% in 2025, according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)

But the fog of conflict has complicated things, and presents a renewed setback for Islamabad.

ADB earlier expected growth this year to be driven by a “rebound in private sector investment linked to progress on reform measures, perceptions of greater economic stability, and a stable foreign exchange market”.

That calculus has now gone awry. The Pakistani rupee has tumbled, stocks are down sharply, and the last thing investors want is the looming threat of greater conflict when they take decisions on putting money into new projects.

Sustained escalation would also likely weigh on the government’s ongoing attempts to get its finances in order, “setting back Pakistan’s progress in achieving macroeconomic stability”, Moody's Ratings agency warned earlier.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will meet later today to decide on the next tranche of its $7bn (£5.2bn) bailout package to the country.

The BBC's Farhat Javed reports from Islamabad about the latest developments in Pakistan as its conflict with neighbour India continue to escalate. Several international airlines have suspended their operations in Pakistan amid the rising tensions. Earlier, reporting from Pakistan-administered Kashmir, our teams could see artillery fire "lighting up the sky" in Muzaffarabad, which is the region's capital.

Stephan Shemilt
BBC Sport chief cricket reporter

Image source, Reuters

Amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, the abandonment of the game in Dharamsala and relocation of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) to Dubai, the suspension of the Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament felt inevitable, but that does not take away from the significance.

The IPL is one of the most lucrative sporting competitions on the planet, up there with the NFL in the US and Premier League in England. IPL money props up much of the global cricketing economy.

Questions abound over what happens next. If the competition does start in a week, will it be in a limited number of venues? Will overseas players still be there? A number of them have started to head home.

If the IPL does restart imminently, then when will it be completed? It is too massive to remain unfinished, so it feels likely it will be concluded later this year, but that would have knock-ons for the rest of the cricketing calendar.

Arunoday Mukharji
BBC News, Delhi

In his first post on X since India’s air strikes on Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the new Pope Leo XIV on assuming leadership of the Catholic Church.

While he did not directly make any reference to the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, what stood out in his comments was his reference to peace and harmony.

In the post, external, he said “his [the Pope’s] leadership of the Catholic Church comes at a moment of profound significance in advancing the ideals of peace, harmony, solidarity and service”.

In a second post, external, a few minutes later, the Indian Prime Minister celebrated the birth anniversary of 19th century Indian Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore who was born this month.

The Indian Prime Minister who is usually quite active on social media platforms, including X, and has consistently used it to communicate his thoughts, has not published any posts on ongoing tensions with Pakistan. While he has been chairing cabinet and security meetings, he is yet to make an official statement.

Image source, Getty Images

...here's a quick recap:

• In the last hour, we've heard that the Indian Premier League has been suspended for a week
• Earlier, Pakistan's cricket board said that the remaining matches in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) were being shifted to the UAE
• Last night, India accused Pakistan of attacking three of its military bases with missiles and drones, which Islamabad has denied
• Pakistan's defence minister denied Islamabad was responsible for any such attack, telling the BBC that when Pakistan does strike, "it will be known all over the world"
• On Thursday, Pakistan had said it shot down 25 Indian drones - Delhi did not comment on this specific claim but has said it targeted air defence in Pakistan in response to similar measures from Islamabad

• Heavy cross-border shelling and strikes have damaged dozens of homes and displaced hundreds of people in cities that lie close to the de factor border between the countries

• Global leaders have asked both countries to exercise restraint and de-escalate. But US Vice-President JD Vance has said that a potential war between India and Pakistan would be "none of our business"

The Indian Premiere League (IPL) is currently 58 games old, including the abandonment in Dharamsala.

There are 12 games left to play in the group stage, scheduled for Lucknow (2), Hyderabad, Ahmedabad (3), Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru (2), Mumbai, Jaipur, followed by the playoffs, to be played in Hyderabad and Kolkata.

The post announcing the IPL suspension says the decision was taken by the tournament's governing council "after due consultation with all key stakeholders following the representations from most of the franchisees".

The franchisees, the post adds, "conveyed the concern and sentiments of their players".

The Indian Premier League - the world's richest cricket tournament - has been suspended for one week, according to a tweet from its official handle.

We'll bring you more soon.

Azadeh Moshiri
BBC Pakistan correspondent

Image source, Reuters

Some Pakistani officials have claimed that their forces killed dozens of Indian soldiers in firing across the Line of Control, the de factor border between the two countries.

But it’s been difficult to get exact figures.

Earlier this week, Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar claimed 40-50 Indian soldiers had been killed.

When we spoke to Pakistan’s defence minister, he said he believed about 25 Indian soldiers were killed as of Wednesday.

Khawaja Asif did acknowledge that Pakistan had also “suffered losses” but the defence minister said he was not aware of the figure.

He claimed India had initiated the fighting and that two of India’s brigade headquarters were hit. Delhi has denied both these claims.

The BBC could not independently verify these claims.

The Indian ministry of defence told the BBC that they had received no communication regarding any casualties suffered by the Indian army.

In an earlier press release, the army said they had neutralised drone and missile attacks on Indian defence infrastructure and no losses were reported.

Farhat Javed
Reporting from Muzaffarabad, Pakistan-administered Kashmir

Image source, Getty Images

We told you earlier that tourists in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, were feeling anxious as tensions with India began to soar. What about the locals?

Many of them are making arrangements for the women, children and elderly members of their families to move out of the city.

“If anything happens, at least my children won’t be near it," a shopkeeper who said he was leaving the city for a few days told me.

Muzaffarabad has long lived under the shadow of conflict. People here are used to tensions flaring up and dying down. But what makes this moment different is the speed. Not just of missiles and drones, but of narrative warfare, where perception moves faster than fact.

Last night, most people here followed an advisory to observe a blackout without questioning. There was no siren, no official announcement on loudspeakers, just a message passed quietly between people.

Muhammad Sagheer, a father of three who moved his family to the city from Neelum Valley on the Line of Control [the de facto border between India and Pakistan], is worried after a missile strike near his home.

"The children were scared. The younger ones were really terrified," he said.

"We kept telling them, ‘We’ll take you somewhere safe’, just to help them calm down. It was a tough night. In the morning, I took them to my sister’s house in the next town," he added.

Shehryar, also a resident, says his family has bags packed and is ready to leave if something happens.

"You never know what could happen. We live in the city and there are military sites all around," he says.

"We’ve stopped going out, not even to the market. We bought whatever groceries we needed and now we’re just staying home."

Nikhil Inamdar
Reporting from London

Social media platform X said on Thursday that it had blocked 8,000 accounts in India following orders from the government in the backdrop of the escalating conflict between India and Pakistan.

These include accounts of Pakistani publications - such as Dawn and Geo TV - and many journalists from the country.

"To comply with the orders, we will withhold the specified accounts in India alone. We have begun that process. However, we disagree with the Indian government's demands," X said in a post on its Global Government Affairs handle.

The platform also temporarily withheld the same handle - of its own global government affairs team in India - before reinstating it.

X said withholding accounts was not an easy decision, but it was doing this to keep the platform accessible to Indians, adding that the blocking orders were "unnecessary and amounted to censorship".

The Elon Musk-owned platform said it was “exploring all possible legal avenues”.

X is already fighting a separate court case against the Indian government and has filed a lawsuit that accuses Prime Minister Modi’s government of misusing the law to censor content on its platform.

Separately, The Wire, a website often critical of the Indian government also alleged that internet providers had blocked its website on the orders of India's IT ministry, calling the move "blatant censorship".

The Indian government has not commented on the issue.

Farhat Javed
Reporting from Muzaffarabad, Pakistan-administered Kashmir

Image source, AFP

In the hotel we stayed at in Muzaffarabad, in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, the mountain-facing rooms were slowly emptying out.

These rooms have a fabulous view, looking straight onto the mountains that separate Pakistan-administered Kashmir from the Indian-administered side. On any other day, they’d be considered premium. Now they feel too exposed.

“We don’t have guests or tourists anymore. Those who are here will be moved elsewhere," a staff member at the hotel told me on Thursday, lowering his voice.

In the next few hours, the BBC team was also moved to the lowest floor of the hotel.

“You never know what will happen next. No-one wants to sleep facing the Line of Control (LoC - the de facto border between the countries) tonight," the staff member added.

There's good reason for the fear.

Last night was the second straight night of blackouts in several parts of Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

From our hotel window, we could see artillery fire lighting up the sky. Shelling continued well into the night in several sectors along the LoC.

Muzaffarabad, the administrative centre of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, is among the places India said it targeted in air strikes early Wednesday.

The city was placed under a full blackout last night. It was an advisory but most people followed it without question. Lights were turned off in homes, hotels and shops. Streets that were usually full with the sound of late-night vendors were eerily quiet.

The intensity of the military language between India and Pakistan, along with the tone of the press briefings and statements, have sent a wave of anxiety across the region, especially here, close to the border.

In the corridor of one of the hotels here, a young couple from Karachi was deciding whether to return home early.

“We came for a vacation,” the woman said, “but now we’re checking missile ranges on Google."

Archana Shukla
India business correspondent

An Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket match which was supposed to be held today in Lucknow city in northern Uttar Pradesh state has been cancelled, a source close to the development told the BBC.

The match, between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants, was the 59th match in the series.

Archana Shukla
India business correspondent

India is expected to mount pressure against further loans to Pakistan, as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) prepares to consider the next instalment of its $7bn bailout to Islamabad on Friday.

The IMF meeting comes as cross-border tensions between Pakistan and India have continued to rise, with overnight blackouts and India alleging Pakistan launched drones and missiles on its three military bases - something Islamabad has denied.

Vikram Misri, India’s foreign secretary, on Thursday said the country would be putting forward its views to the fund and added that the IMF board should look “deep within” and take into account how successful these bailouts have been over the past three decades.

The money is crucial for Pakistan’s cash-strapped economy which is just limping back from a prolonged period of high inflation and low growth.

While India can voice its concerns, its influence on decision making, experts say, could be limited. India is one of the 25 members on IMF board - representing Sri Lanka, Bangaldesh and Bhutan too.

Meanwhile, amid escalating tensions between the neighbours, World Bank president Ajay Banga met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. The bank has ruled out intervening between the neighbours on India’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) - a landmark water sharing agreement that governs how the Indus basin river water is used.

“There's no provision in the treaty that allows for suspension,” Banga told CNBC TV18 news channel. “It either needs to be gone, or replaced by another one."

He said the bank's role in the treaty is just of a facilitator.

BBC Urdu

Five people, including a newborn, have been killed in firing and shelling in Pakistan-administered Kashmir overnight, Pakistani police tell BBC Urdu.

They said the shelling continued in several districts until 04:00 local time on Friday (23:00GMT on Thursday) along the Line of Control, the de facto border dividing Kashmir between the neighbours.

On Thursday, Pakistan had said that 31 people had been killed in Indian air strikes and shelling since early Wednesday.

The latest deaths reported from Pakistan-administered Kashmir would take the overall toll to 36.

Image source, Getty Images

While Pakistan Super League matches are moving to UAE, cricket fans are also wondering what will happen to the current season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

On Thursday night, a match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals in Dharamsala was stopped midway and spectators were asked to evacuate the stadium. Authorities blamed a floodlight failure. The decision came even as people in some other cities in northern and western India reported hearing sirens and blackouts had been imposed.

A match between Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians that was supposed to be played at Dharamsala on Sunday was earlier shifted to Ahmedabad in Gujarat.

Some news outlets have reported that the Indian cricket board might consider suspending the tournament, but this has not been confirmed yet.

The tournament was scheduled to end on 25 May.

Matthew Henry
BBC Sport journalist on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Image source, AFP

The Pakistan Super League (PSL) is moving the remaining matches of the season to the United Arab Emirates amid the ongoing tensions with India.

Earlier on Thursday, the match between Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings, due to be held in Rawalpindi, was postponed after Pakistan's military said Indian drones were destroyed in various Pakistan cities.

A Pakistan Cricket Board official told BBC Sport one drone misfired and led to an explosion in the street behind the stadium in Rawalpindi. The BBC has been unable to verify these claims.

The PSL had been looking at all options for the remainder of the season, including halting the tournament for a number of weeks.

The exact schedule for the rest of the tournament, including dates and venues in the UAE, is yet to be confirmed.

Read the full story here.

Image source, Getty Images

India's ambassador to the US Vinay Kwatra has described the country's actions against Pakistan as a "war against terrorism" in an interview with CNN on Thursday.

He reiterated India's stand on Pakistan being the "original escalator" of tensions and said that Delhi was only responding to Islamabad's actions. India has blamed "Pakistan-based terrorists" for a deadly attack on tourists in April that killed 26 civilians - Islamabad has denied any links.

When asked by the hosts whether India was "at war" with Pakistan, Mr Kwatra did not give a clear answer but when pressed, he said India was "at war with the terrorists".

He was then asked if it was possible for tensions to escalate to the level of a nuclear war, given that both countries have nuclear weapons, Mr Kwatra responded, "That's for you to ask Pakistan."

Pakistan's ambassador to the US is expected to appear for a televised interview with CNN in the coming days.

Anbarasan Ethirajan
South Asia Regional Editor

Image source, Getty Images

As the ongoing India-Pakistan crisis takes a dangerous turn, nations around the world are urging calm.

The initial thinking was that after India launched air strikes and with Pakistan claiming to have shot down several Indian jets (a claim Delhi has not confirmed), both sides could claim “victory” and de-escalate.

But there’s a danger that any protracted tit-for-tat attacks could lead them to a far more damaging prospect.

During past conflicts, it was the US and a few other global powers which put pressure on Delhi and Islamabad to bring the situation under control and de-escalate.

Now passions are running high and the nationalist rhetoric has reached a crescendo on both sides and the neighbours are closer to war than in recent decades.

Unless Washington gets more involved, Islamabad and Delhi may continue with their accusations and counter-accusations.

Gulf states like Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which have close ties to both the countries, could step up their mediation efforts.

While the Donald Trump administration’s priorities are more about tariffs, China and Ukraine-Russia, it may require a concerted attempt by the international community to lower tension between the two nuclear-armed rivals.

Image source, Getty Images

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has arrived in the city of Jammu in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Abdullah said he was there to take stock of the situation after last night’s "failed Pakistani drone attacks" directed at Jammu and other parts of the region.

Officials told the Press Trust of India that one woman was killed and two of her family members injured after the heavy shelling in areas near the Line of Control - the de facto border that separates Kashmir between the South Asian neighbours - in Uri district.

Video footage from the region claimed to show damage to several shops and houses in last night's shelling. BBC has not been able to verify them.

On Thursday, India said 16 people, including three women and five children, had died due to Pakistani firing since Wednesday morning.

All private and government schools in Indian-administered Kashmir are closed today.