South Asia is staring into the abyss tonight after Pakistan’s prime minister stunned the world with a televised address declaring “open war” against Afghanistan, following days of lethal cross‑border clashes and a deadly bombing Islamabad blames on Afghan‑based militants.

Flanked by top generals and intelligence chiefs, the prime minister accused Kabul of harboring “terror factories” and ignoring repeated warnings to dismantle them. “Diplomacy has been exhausted. Our patience is over,” he said, announcing full mobilization of combat units along the frontier and authorizing “all necessary measures” to neutralize threats across the border.

Within hours, residents in key border towns reported the roar of jets overhead and artillery thundering from Pakistani positions. Afghan officials, denouncing the declaration as “naked aggression,” claimed several villages had already been hit, vowing that any incursion would be met with “fierce, nationwide resistance.” Both sides insist they did not start the latest round of violence, trading accusations of cross‑border rocket fire and support for insurgent proxies.

In New York, the UN Security Council called an emergency session as satellite images showed armored columns, missile batteries and troop transports pouring toward the Durand Line. China, Russia and the United States — each with deep stakes in the region — urged “maximum restraint,” while quietly moving to protect their own assets and citizens on the ground.

Analysts warn that what began as deniable skirmishes now risks exploding into a full‑scale interstate war between two nuclear‑armed neighbors, with refugees already massing on remote mountain roads and aid agencies bracing for a humanitarian disaster that could reshape the region for years.