India's army has responded to what it described as Pakistan's "blatant escalation with drone strikes and other munitions" along its western borders as part of the latest escalation in a conflict between the two nuclear-armed rivals.

As tensions between Pakistan and India continue to rise, the brunt of the impact is being borne by residents of the border regions in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, where people say they have been forced to abandon their homes in search of safety.

Pakistan said it launched a military operation against India early on Saturday, targeting multiple bases including a missile storage site in northern India as the neighbours extended their worst fighting in nearly three decades.