India and Pakistan have blamed each other for escalating tensions as the US and others countries urge both sides to de-escalate
On Thursday, India's army accused Pakistan of launching drones and missiles on three military bases in India and Indian-administered Kashmir, which Islamabad denies
Pakistan said earlier it had shot down 25 Indian drones - India has not commented
Pakistan says 31 people have been killed and 57 injured by air strikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and firing along the Line of Control, since Wednesday morning
Meanwhile, India's army says at least 16 civilians were killed by Pakistani shelling on its side of the de facto border
India says the initial missile strikes were a response to a deadly militant attack on Indian tourists in Pahalgam last month - Islamabad denies involvement
Indian-administered Kashmir has seen a decades-long insurgency which has claimed thousands of lives. India and Pakistan both claim Kashmir in full
Watch: How tensions escalated between India and Pakistan
An official statement from the Pakistan army's public relations wing says they have now shot down 25 Indian drones since Wednesday night. The earlier number given in the press conference was 12.
In the last few minutes, India has also put out a statement - we will be bringing you details from it soon.
Arunoday Mukharji
BBC News, Delhi
Image source, Getty ImagesJaishankar told the visiting minister that India has no intention to escalate the situation
India’s Foreign Minister S Jaishankar has said that India does not have the “intention to escalate the situation” with Pakistan but any military attack on it would "be met with a very, very firm response".
Jaishankar was speaking at the 20th India-Iran Joint Commission meeting in Delhi where he welcomed the visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. The two countries are marking 75 years of the India-Iran Friendship Treaty.
“You are visiting India at a time when we are responding to a particularly barbaric terrorist attack,” said Jaishankar, referring to last month's attack on Indian tourists in Pahalgam. India has blamed Pakistan-based militants for the attack, a claim Islamabad has denied.
Speaking about India's air strikes on Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, he said that Delhi's "response was targeted and measured".
"It is not our intention to escalate the situation. However, if there are military attacks on us, there should be no doubt that it will be met with a very, very firm response."
Jaishankar told his Iranian counterpart, “As a neighbour and a partner it is important that you have a good understanding of the situation."
Iran had earlier offered to mediate between India and Pakistan.
Azadeh Moshiri
BBC Pakistan correspondent
In a press conference in capital Islamabad, a spokesman for Pakistan’s army has claimed that India committed “a second blatant military act of aggression” against the country. The spokesperson said that since Wednesday night, Pakistan had shot down 12 drones sent by India.
Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudry claimed this took place in major cities such as Rawalpindi, Lahore and an area near Karachi, and resulted in a civilian casualty and an injury. He said debris was currently being collected across the country.
The BBC has reached out to India’s army for a response.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Pakistan’s airport authority has said that major airports in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Sialkot will be closed until 18:00 local time (14:00BST) but did not confirm why.
The US and UN have called on Pakistan and India to avoid any further escalation. But Pakistan claims it is now the victim of - in its words - another “serious provocation”.
What it chooses to do next will have serious implications on whether this conflict escalates.
Nurussaba Garg
BBC Monitoring
Pakistan's prominent newspapers on Thursday have carried large headlines highlighting the military and civilian government’s resolve to give a “befitting” reply to India for the air strikes on Wednesday.
The Nation's headline was “Armed Forces authorised to avenge martyrs' blood at a time, place of own choosing”.
Pakistan Observer, which is seen as pro-military, highlighted the army's statement, external: “31 civilians martyred, 57 injured in Indian attacks: ISPR”. ISPR or Inter-Services Public Relations is the media wing of the Pakistan military.
The most widely-read English-language daily Dawn's headline read: “India launches devious attack in dead of night, external; Pakistan delivers befitting reply”.
The Daily Times ran a headline that read: “Pakistan Zindabad, external [Long Live Pakistan] - Military given go-ahead to avenge loss of lives”.
At least two newspapers highlighted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's speech.
Pakistan Today daily said, external: “India’s heinous provocation not to go unanswered, vows PM Shehbaz” and The Express Tribune's headline said “India to pay heavy price: PM, external”.
Heli Shukla
BBC Monitoring
Indian newspapers on Thursday hailed Delhi's air strikes - the official name is Operation Sindoor - in response to the 22 April attack on tourists in Pahalgam.
"Sindoor serves justice, external", read a headline in the popular English-language newspaper Hindustan Times.
Image source, AFPAll Indian newspapers have commended the air strikes
"Valour: Army avenges Pahalgam terror attack, external" said a strapline in the Hindi daily Hindustan.
The action was called an "attack on terror, external" by prominent Hindi newspaper Navbharat Times.
"Payback for Pahalgam, external", read the headline in India's largest-selling English-language newspaper The Times of India. India's action was "a cold, calculated, carefully calibrated retribution after keeping Pakistan on edge for 15 days, external", the accompanying report said.
Meanwhile, the financial newspaper The Economic Times wrote: "India avenges the spilt blood with precision military strikes to wipe out terror infrastructure in Pakistan, external".
The Indian papers didn't give much space to Pakistan's claims - not confirmed by India - that it shot down five Indian aircraft.
Saudi Arabia's junior Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir is currently on a visit to Delhi that wasn't publicly announced earlier.
His visit on Thursday comes as tensions have escalated between Delhi and Islamabad. India launched air strikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir on Wednesday, saying it targeted nine sites. Pakistan says only six locations were targeted and that it shot down five Indian planes. India has not commented on the claims of the plane being downed.
India's Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said he had a " a good meeting" with the Saudi minister.
"Shared India's perspectives on firmly countering terrorism," he said in a post on X.
Iran' Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is also in India on a scheduled trip.
Image source, S Jaishankar/XPakistan army spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said that the country destroyed 12 drones sent by India to different cities last night.
India has not commented on these claims yet. The BBC has contacted the Indian army for a response.
Lt Gen Chaudhry said the drones were destroyed in Lahore, Gujranwala, Chakwal, Attock, Rawalpindi, Bahawalpur, Mianwali and Karachi.
One civilian was killed and another injured in Sindh province after a drone fell on them, he said.
He added that a military installation was targeted in Lahore, injuring four army personnel and destroying some infrastructure.
Indian opposition leaders have expressed their full support to the government at the all-party meeting, which concluded in Delhi just a while ago.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh briefed the opposition parties on the air strikes launched on Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir on Wednesday, said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju. He added that opposition leaders also gave their suggestions.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge told news agency ANI that the government said "they cannot share a few things which are confidential in the interest of national security. We [all parties] said we stand with the government".
Chief of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen party Asaduddin Owaisi said he suggested that India "should run an international campaign against The Resistance Front (TRF)" - a militant group Delhi has blamed for last month's militant attack on Indian tourists in Pahalgam.
India says TRF is a front for Pakistan-based Lashkar-e Taiba, a group designated as terrorist by United Nations.
Image source, ANIIndian opposition parties have given their full support to the government
Devina Gupta
Reporting from Surankote, Indian-administered Kashmir
Image source, Aamir Peerzada/BBCSufreen fled her home in Poonch due to cross-border shelling
Dozens of people in Poonch district in Indian-administered Kashmir have fled their homes to escape intense cross-border shelling along the Line of Control - the de-facto border between India and Pakistan.
India says that over the past 14 days - since the deadly attack on tourists in Pahalgam - Pakistan has repeatedly violated a ceasefire agreement, targeting Indian positions along the border. Islamabad has not commented on this.
Locals told the BBC that the shelling intensified after Delhi's air strikes early on Wednesday morning against Pakistan.
"I heard a loud bang and ran out with my one-month-old child in my arms. I was so scared," Sobia, a local, told the BBC.
Sufreen Akhtar, another local, said she and her family left their home after a shell landed in front of their house.
"We couldn’t get a car and had to walk for miles [to reach a safe place]. I was crying all the way, there was so much shelling," she said.
Image source, Aamir Peerzada/BBCLocals say at least 80 people have fled from Poonch to Surankote
Sobia and Sufreen are among dozens of others who have fled to Surankote from Poonch in the past 48 hours, seeking shelter with their family and friends. Surankote lies further away from the border and is hence not as vulnerable to the shelling.
Locals say that at least 80 people have fled so far and many more are likely to come.
‘I have 25 people living in my house right now. Some walked barefoot to reach here. Some didn’t even lock their homes because they had to leave immediately’, says Mohammad Alam Malik, a Surankote resident.
These families are now dependent on the kindness of people like Mr Malik to help them tide over this crisis.
If you're just joining us, here's what's happened so far:
Soutik Biswas
India Correspondent
Tensions between India and Pakistan have sharply escalated following last month's Pahalgam attack that killed 26 people and India’s retaliatory air strikes on Wednesday morning.
Over the past 14 consecutive nights, India says Pakistani troops have repeatedly violated the 2021 ceasefire agreement, targeting Indian positions along the 740-km-long Line of Control (LoC), the de-facto border dividing India and Pakistan.
Fifteen people, including women, children and one Indian soldier, were killed, with 51 injured, as heavy Pakistani shelling hit villages along the LoC in four Jammu and Kashmir districts on Wednesday, Indian officials said.
Image source, AFPIndia says its army has responded proportionately to unprovoked small-arms fire across key sectors including Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch, Rajouri, Mendhar, Naushera, Sunderbani and Akhnoor. Pakistan has not commented on these claims.
For civilians living near the LoC, the renewed hostilities bring familiar hardships: casualties, destruction of property and livestock, curfews, and disrupted access to schools, hospitals and markets.
Though large-scale displacement has not yet occurred - unlike during past crises, such as in late 2016 when over 27,000 people were moved - the current violence risks further destabilising people living near the border.
The once-promising February 2021 ceasefire now appears to be fraying fast, raising concerns about prolonged confrontation along one of the world’s most volatile borders.
Image source, Getty ImagesForeign Office Minister Hamish Falconer spoke in the House of Commons on Wednesday
The UK Parliament on Wednesday debated the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan with members across parties appealing for UK efforts to aid de-escalation in the region.
Foreign Office Minister Hamish Falconer told the House of Commons that “our consistent message to both India and Pakistan has been to show restraint".
"They need to engage in dialogue to find a swift, diplomatic path forward,” Falconer said.
"It is heartbreaking to see civilian lives being lost," he said. "If this escalates further, nobody wins."
Falconer said all sides now needed to focus urgently on steps "to restore regional stability and ensure the protection of civilians”.
He also said the UK "will play its full part for de-escalation and diplomacy".
Pakistan has briefly suspended all flight operations at airports in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore and Sialkot due to "operational reasons" on Thursday morning, the country's airports authority has said.
It comes a day after India launched air strikes on Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir in response to last month's Pahalgam attack in which 26 people were killed.
On Wednesday, there were reports of Pakistan shutting down several airports after the strikes. But the country's airport regulator later said the Pakistan airspace was open and "secure for civil aviation activities".
Image source, AFPFour airports in Pakistan have temporarily suspended operations
Image source, ANI(From left) Federal Health Minister JP Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi
The Indian government is holding an all-party meeting in the capital, Delhi, to brief top opposition leaders about developments related to Operation Sindoor - the name India has given to the air strike against Pakistan.
Early Wednesday morning, India said it had struck nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Delhi said the strikes destroyed sites of "terrorist infrastructure" in Pakistan.
Pakistan has said only six sites were hit and rejected Delhi's allegation that it harbours militants. It has also vowed to retaliate.
Since news first broke yesterday morning, several opposition leaders have expressed support for the air strikes.
"Since the day of the Pahalgam terror attack, the Indian National Congress has categorically stood with the armed forces and the government to take any decisive action against cross-border terror," leader of the main opposition Congress party Mallikarjun Kharge tweeted.
Image source, Getty ImagesFans watching a match at the cricket stadium in Dharamsala
Today's Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket match scheduled to be played at a stadium in Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh state will go ahead as planned, authorities have said.
There was some uncertainty around this as the Dharamsala airport is among the more than 20 that have been closed in northern India until 10 May.
The Punjab Kings is scheduled to play the Delhi Capitals here on Thursday evening. Both teams reached Dharamsala a couple of days ago.
IPL chairperson Arun Dhumal told, external the Indian Express newspaper that this match will go on as planned. The logistics of the next match to be played here - on Sunday - are still being worked out. The Mumbai Indians team was scheduled to arrive in Dharamsala on Thursday.
"As far as the Punjab v Mumbai Indians game [on May 11] is concerned, it is still far away," he said.
Dhumal said the situation was dynamic and they would follow any advisory received from the Indian government.
Here's a quick recap of what's happened so far:
Image source, Getty ImagesWe asked Husain Haqqani, a former Pakistani ambassador to the US, for his perspective on the current crisis with India unfolding on Pakistan’s soil.
"The Pakistani military has already regained the popularity it had lost in its tussle with former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his supporters. Any conflict with India, especially over Kashmir, always rallies Pakistanis to their military," he said.
We asked how concerned he was that this could escalate into an unprecedented crisis - or whether he believes there’s already an off-ramp available.
"India and Pakistan have been through this cycle for three-and-a-half decades, and even after both turned nuclear in 1998 this cycle has continued," Mr Haqqani said.
"I hope that after a potential Pakistani strike, the off-ramps that are available will be used. But if the two sides get into further cycles of retaliation, we will have a bigger crisis on our hands."
Mr Haqqani said the Indian strikes were "predictable".
"It was predictable that India would respond, with a strike that was punitive but would not seek to escalate the situation."
Early Wednesday morning, India launched air strikes into Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, two weeks after 26 people were killed in a deadly militant attack in Pahalgam town. Islamabad has denied any involvement in the attack and called the strikes "cowardly".
Meanwhile, world leaders are calling on both India and Pakistan to de-escalate as tensions continue to rise.
Here is a quick recap of what has happened so far as BBC reporters on the ground continue to bring you the latest updates.
Video produced by Anahita Sachdev in Delhi
Watch: How tensions escalated between India and Pakistan
Image source, Getty ImagesA view of a deserted Chandigarh airport on Wednesday
More than 20 airports, most of them in northern India, have been shut until 10 May, according to media reports and travel advisories from airlines. There has been no official confirmation of this from India's civil aviation ministry or the airports regulator.
On Wednesday, major flight operators in India issued advisories for civilians affected by the closure of several airports after India launched air strikes on Pakistan. More than 400 flights were cancelled in India yesterday, and visuals showed passengers being sent back from many airports.
Here's what to watch today:
Stay with us as we bring you all the updates