Blast heard in Pakistan’s Lahore amid tensions with India

8th May 2025 at 9:17 AM

1 minute read

The Pakistani government has authorized the military to "undertake corresponding actions" after India's strikes.

A loud explosion was reported in Lahore, Pakistan, on Thursday morning, according to Geo News and a Reuters witness, heightening fears of escalating conflict between nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan. The blast occurred a day after India conducted targeted strikes on multiple sites in Pakistan, marking a significant intensification of hostilities not seen in decades.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif stated that any retaliatory actions by Islamabad would focus solely on Indian military targets, avoiding civilian areas. The Indian strikes, which included targets in Pakistan’s populous Punjab province, were the first of their kind since the last major war between the two nations over 50 years ago. India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described the operations as precise, claiming the targets were “destroyed with exactness” as part of a carefully planned strategy.

The recent flare-up follows India’s missile strikes on Wednesday in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, which Pakistan claims downed five Indian aircraft. Pakistan has vowed to respond, raising concerns about further military escalation. The situation is particularly precarious for Pakistan’s $350 billion economy, already strained after emerging from a financial crisis and navigating a $7 billion IMF loan program in 2024, according to Reuters.