The 2025 Pakistan-India conflict — as it happened

A year ago, Pakistan once again found itself fighting an adversary many times bigger as it clashed with India, dealing the boastful neighbour an internationally recognised “clear setback”. From the night of May 6 to May 10, the drums of war echoed loudly across South Asia as the nuclear-armed arch-rivals exchanged missiles, raising global alarm over the risk of unpredictable escalation. Dawn retraces the period of military hostilities, recounting not just the decisive moments etched in history, but the less-noticed developments that shaped the news cycle at the time. May 6 With exchange of fire on the Line of Control (LoC) beginning on April 26 — bringing tensions between India and Pakistan to an alarming level — the armed forces were prepared with their full might for what was to come. This was reflected in Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) headquarters on May 6. “We are ready for them everywhere at all times,” said Defence Minister Khawaja Asif hours later, cautioning that a clash with India “can happen anytime”. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy PM Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and the services chiefs pose for a group photo at the ISI headquarters in Islamabad on May 6, 2025. — X/PTVNewsOfficial/File May 7 Shortly after midnight, the military’s spokesman, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, confirmed that India carried out missile strikes at Bahawalpur, Muridke, Narowal and Sialkot in Punjab, and Muzaffarabad and Kotli in AJK. Those attacks, which killed at least 31 Pakistani civilians and left many others injured, did not go unanswered. What unfolded next did not merely showcase the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) battle capabilities but also became a potential case study for militaries worldwide. By dawn, Pakistan had shot down at least five Indian jets — a figure later raised to seven. These included at least three Rafale fighter jets — the pride of the Ind