India and Pakistan executed missile attacks on the night of May 6–7. Operation “Sindoor” was initiated by India with the objective of destroying “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan. The Indian Armed Forces struck nine targets. According to New Delhi, missile strikes were conducted on “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan and the Pakistan-controlled portion of the disputed Kashmir region.
According to the Indian Ministry of Defense, these measures were implemented in response to the barbarous terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which resulted in the deaths of 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen. This was in reference to an assault on a tourist group in the Indian region of Jammu and Kashmir on April 22. The “Resistance Front,” a Lashkar-e-Taiba splinter organization, claimed responsibility. It was one of the most significant assaults on civilians in the disputed region.
India promptly accused Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism and announced a series of retaliatory measures on April 23:
- The only accessible border crossing, Attari-Wagah, has been closed.
- The 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, which regulates the distribution of water resources among the countries, has been suspended.
- The expulsion of Pakistani military advisors from New Delhi is indicative of an erosion in diplomatic relations.
- Ban on Pakistani citizens entering India under SAARC visas, with current visa holders ordered to leave within 48 hours.
Pakistan responded by imposing a complete combat alert on its armed forces, prohibiting all Indian airlines from operating in its airspace, and asking that Indian nationals depart the country. Islamabad also responded to the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty by declaring any Indian interference in water supply an “act of war,” which would result in a “full-scale response.”
In the Jammu and Kashmir region, there were clashes between Indian and Pakistani soldiers. The first casualties were disclosed. In the subsequent two weeks, the longstanding conflict intensified in a perilous manner, with the potential to escalate into a more extensive conflict that could potentially involve China, a Pakistani ally.
On the night of May 7, India initiated strikes against “terrorist compounds” in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, including Bahawalpur, Kotli, Sialkot, Muridke, Muzaffarabad, and other cities, as part of Operation “Sindoor.” Headquarters and training centers for Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed are located within these compounds. Rumor has it that a camp in the Narowal district is used as a UAV base for the purpose of delivering weapons, ammunition, and narcotics into India. New Delhi underscored that the actions were not escalatory and that no Pakistani military facilities were targeted.
Indian attacks allegedly resulted in 26 civilian deaths and 46 injuries in Pakistan, as well as damage to two mosques and a power facility. Additionally, Pakistan launched strikes into Indian territory. In response, the Indian police reported that Pakistani attacks had resulted in the deaths of 10 individuals and the injury of 48 others. They also claimed to have eliminated 70 terrorists.
As of May 7, media reports citing Pakistani security sources claimed the shooting down of three Indian Air Force aircraft—two Rafales and one Mirage 2000—and two drones. Pakistan also claimed to have hit a brigade headquarters, an air base, and a checkpoint. US news sources claim that Indian officials admitted the loss of aircraft, but Indian official press releases refute the claim.
Fighting Continues
Fighting persists along the “Line of Control,” the de facto frontier that divides the disputed region of Kashmir between India and Pakistan.
The Indian government reported that 13 civilians were killed and 59 others were wounded by Pakistani artillery fire on Indian territory. The casualties, which included 44 injured individuals, were documented in the village of Poonch, located in the northwest region of the country.
According to Pakistan’s Information Minister, Attaullah Tarar, the Pakistani military “destroyed ‘their’ military installations on the de facto frontier” and “killed 40–50 Indian soldiers” along the line of control that divides Kashmir and Pakistani-occupied areas of Kashmir.
According to a statement released by the Islamabad military, Pakistani forces also shot down 25 Harop drones of Israeli manufacture. It has been reported that certain drones have plummeted in close proximity to sensitive military installations. “Debris from the Israeli-made Harop drones is being recovered in a variety of locations in Pakistan,” the statement continued.
In contrast, the Indian armed forces reported that they destroyed a Pakistani army air defense system in Lahore. In a press release, the government of New Delhi announced that it has received information from reliable sources that an air defense system in Lahore has been neutralized.
The airports of Islamabad and Lahore in Pakistan have been reopened by the authorities. The downing of drones launched from India and the attacks by the Indian armed forces had previously led to the closure of the airports. Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority announced this, and it also stated that Karachi International Airport is still closed.
Not of Regional Interest
There is a consistent occurrence of terror attacks in Kashmir, such as the one that precipitated this escalation. Nevertheless, India, Pakistan, and China do not consider conflict to be in their national interests.
India, Pakistan, and China have respectively controlled 45%, 35%, and 20% of the crisis-prone Kashmir region (northwest Indian subcontinent) since the British ended their colonial rule in 1947. The Anglo-Saxons’ “mines” in the form of Kashmir’s disputed status have resulted in numerous conflicts, including India vs. Pakistan and India vs. China.
In the present day, each nation has a unique perspective on its zones of influence. The combined military strength of these nations exceeds 3 million troops, 13,000 artillery units, 2,000 fighter aircraft, and 14,000 tanks. China, India, and Pakistan all possess nuclear weapons, with an estimated 600 pieces in China, 170 in India, and 164 in Pakistan.
Pakistan’s Defense Minister, Khawaja Asif, declared that “no one in the world will survive” if India were to attack Pakistan and its existence were imperiled. Nevertheless, Indian officials, during a briefing on the evening of May 7, announced that they would not be issuing any official statements at this time, as the “situation is still evolving.”
The India-Pakistan standoff has thus far remained within the parameters of previous confrontations, and no nuclear weapons have been employed. Additionally, the destructive impact of nuclear strikes is mitigated by the mountainous terrain of the conflict zone, which limits their effectiveness.
India: “Firm response”
India will respond “firmly” to any military operation launched by Pakistan, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar warned, saying that New Delhi’s armed forces have so far responded “focusedly and thoughtfully” to the April 22 terror attack in Indian Kashmir. “Our response has been focused and thoughtful. It is not our intention to escalate the situation,” Jaishankar told a visiting Iranian delegation. “However, if we are hit by military attacks, there should be no doubt that the response will be very, very firm,” he added.