India Pakistan conflict Nervous calm as Pakistan fears war within days

There is a deceptive calm in Pakistan’s main cities. Even as 25 Indian drones penetrated deep into Pakistan’s airspace in the early morning of May 8 – reaching as far as the country’s economic capital, Karachi – daily life in major urban centres remained largely unaffected.

Markets bustled, schools and universities conducted exams as scheduled, and streets bore no signs of panic.

Yet, in the rural eastern stretches bordering India, the mood was starkly different: it was one of dread, anxiety, and preparation for the worst.

Despite the seeming calm in much of the country, experts insist the situation remains dire and Pakistan is poised on a knife-edge.

“This is a very serious situation, and the international community needs to recognise it,” warned Dr Nausheen Wasi, an international relations expert. “One-fifth of Pakistan’s population is at risk. On top of that, with the ongoing climate crisis and severe energy shortages, the situation could become catastrophic.”

Dr Wasi, an assistant professor at the state-run Karachi University, emphasised the unpredictability of the crisis: “We can see a full-fledged conventional war in coming days, but given the uncertainty, even a nuclear scenario can’t be ruled out entirely.”

She added: “The norms of global politics are being defied. Under pressure from his own party, India’s leadership wants to resolve the Kashmir issue militarily.”

The drone incursions mark the latest flare-up in what is fast becoming one of the most serious escalations between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan in recent years.

The strikes reportedly targeted militant hideouts, including a residential area linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar.

The group is blamed by India for a recent deadly attack in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir, which left 27 tourists dead.

India had on May 7 launched a series of air strikes on sites in Pakistan and