Operation Sindoor: India's Response to Pahalgam Attack

In a significant development that has further strained the already tense relations between India and Pakistan, India launched a series of missile strikes on Pakistani territory and Pakistan-administered Kashmir in the early hours of Wednesday, May 7, 2025. This operation, codenamed "Sindoor" by the Indian government, was stated as a direct response to the deadly militant attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, on April 22, 2025, which resulted in the deaths of 26 people. India has explicitly blamed Pakistan for backing the militants responsible for the attack, a charge that Islamabad vehemently denies.
According to statements from the Indian government, "Operation Sindoor" involved precision strikes targeting what they described as "terrorist infrastructure" from where attacks against India were allegedly planned and directed. The Ministry of Defence in New Delhi emphasized that the operation was "focused, measured, and non-escalatory in nature," asserting that no Pakistani military facilities were targeted. They claimed that nine sites were hit, including training camps in Muzaffarabad and Kotli in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, as well as locations in Pakistan's Punjab province, such as Bahawalpur, Sialkot, Barnala, and Tehra Kalan. The use of the term "Sindoor," which is Hindi for vermilion, a red pigment significant to married Hindu women, is seen by some as a symbolic message.
Pakistan swiftly condemned the Indian strikes, calling it an "act of war" and vowing to respond at a time and place of its choosing. Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the head of Pakistan's military public relations wing, confirmed that Indian missiles had struck multiple locations, including Muzaffarabad and Kotli in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and also areas in the Punjab province. Pakistan's National Security Committee, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, stated that the attacks were carried out on the "false pretext of the presence of imaginary terrorist camps" and deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure, including mosques, resulting in the deaths of innocent men, women, and children. Pakistan's military claimed to have retaliated by shooting down five Indian fighter jets and surveillance aircraft, a claim that India has not yet confirmed.
The strikes have led to widespread panic and destruction in the affected areas. Reports indicate that at least 26 people, including women and children, were killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and the Punjab province. Power outages were reported in Muzaffarabad, and local hospitals in Pakistan-administered Kashmir declared a state of emergency to handle the influx of casualties. Schools in Indian-controlled Kashmir and Pakistan's Punjab province were closed. Several airlines, including Qatar Airways, Air France, Lufthansa, Air India, and Korean Air, have suspended or diverted flights due to the closure of airspace.
This recent escalation is part of a long-standing and complex conflict over the Kashmir region, which dates back to the partition of India in 1947. Both India and Pakistan claim the entirety of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. This territorial dispute has led to three major wars between the two nations and numerous other armed skirmishes. Currently, India controls approximately 55% of the land, including the Kashmir Valley, Jammu, most of Ladakh, and the Siachen Glacier, while Pakistan controls about 30% (Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan), and China controls the remaining 15%.
"Operation Sindoor" bears similarities to India's previous responses to major terrorist attacks originating from Pakistan, such as the 2016 surgical strikes following the Uri attack and the 2019 Balakot airstrike after the Pulwama bombing. However, initial reports suggest that "Operation Sindoor" involved a larger scale of engagement, with strikes on multiple targets deeper inside Pakistani territory than the Balakot operation. This marks a significant escalation in India's approach to cross-border counter-terrorism operations.
The international community is closely watching the developments, with concerns about further escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. The coming hours and days will be crucial in determining the trajectory of this renewed crisis in the Kashmir region.
Source@BBC