In the early hours of May 7, 2025, India launched Operation Sindoor, a coordinated military strike targeting nine terror infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The operation was a direct response to the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, which resulted in the deaths of 26 civilians, including a Nepali national. Indian authorities cited credible evidence linking Pakistan-based terror groups to the Pahalgam attack, prompting a swift and calibrated military response.

According to official statements from India’s Ministry of Defence, Operation Sindoor was a joint effort by the Indian Army, Air Force, and Navy, employing precision strike weapons and loitering munitions (Kamikaze drones) to target terror camps and infrastructure. The nine sites included key locations associated with Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba, notably in Bahawalpur, Muridke, Kotli, Muzaffarabad, and Sialkot. Indian officials emphasised that no Pakistani civilian, economic, or military installations were targeted, maintaining that the strikes were measured, non-escalatory, and focused solely on known terror hubs.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reportedly monitored the operation throughout the night, underscoring the government’s resolve to deliver “unimaginable punishment” to those responsible for the Pahalgam attack. Indian sources further stated that the operation was executed without breaching Pakistani airspace, demonstrating restraint in both target selection and method of execution.

Pakistani Response And Claims

Pakistan strongly condemned Operation Sindoor, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif labelling it a “heinous act of aggression” and asserting that a “resolute response is already underway.” Pakistan’s military spokesperson, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, claimed that the Indian strikes resulted in at least eight civilian deaths, including a child, and injured around 38 people. Pakistani officials asserted that the locations struck were civilian in nature, disputing Indian claims that only terror infrastructure was targeted.

Following the strikes, Pakistan convened a National Security Committee meeting and initiated artillery shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Bhimber Gali sector of the Poonch-Rajauri region, which reportedly resulted in the deaths of at least three Indian personnel. State-run Pakistan Television also claimed that the country’s air force shot down two Indian jets in retaliation, though no further details were provided.

Pakistan closed all major airports for 48 hours, citing threats to commercial air traffic, and warned that the escalation brought the two nuclear-armed states closer to a major conflict. The Foreign Affairs Ministry of Pakistan maintained that Indian forces had launched the strikes while remaining in Indian airspace, and reiterated allegations of civilian casualties.

International And Domestic Reactions

The United Nations called for maximum restraint from both India and Pakistan, while the United States, through Secretary Marco Rubio, expressed hope for a quick de-escalation and ongoing engagement with both governments to seek a peaceful resolution.

Domestically, reactions in India were marked by strong support for the operation, with political leaders and former military officials highlighting the necessity of a decisive response to cross-border terrorism. In Pakistan, national leaders condemned the strikes and vowed to retaliate, reiterating national unity and readiness to respond to perceived aggression.

Operation Sindoor represents a significant escalation in India’s counter-terror strategy, marked by precision strikes on terror infrastructure across Pakistan and PoK. While India maintains that the operation was limited, focused, and non-escalatory, Pakistan has condemned the strikes as acts of aggression resulting in civilian casualties and has vowed a forceful response.

The situation remains tense, with both sides engaging in retaliatory actions and heightened military alertness along the border, raising international concerns about the risk of further conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

Agencies