The audacious killings of Indian civilians at Pahalgam tore through the moral fabric of South Asia’s supposed ceasefire stability, as tourists were murdered in cold blood in front of their families. This wasn’t just another terror strike. It was targeted, sectarian, psychological warfare executed to humiliate a nation and its people. The message reportedly left behind, “Go tell Modi,” was not simply a taunt. It was a provocation aimed at coercing silence through shame.
India, however, has changed.
The era of turning the other cheek has ended in a country that once bore 26/11 with strategic restraint. With the launch of Operation Sindoor, India has demonstrated that any future attack on its citizens will invoke a punitive response. The name of the operation itself is symbolic. “Sindoor”—the” vermilion worn by married Hindu women as a mark of their husband’s life and identity—was what the terrorists sought to defile in Pahalgam. In response, India used that very symbol to name a mission of retribution and precision.
The results were precise: Nine terror-linked sites were targeted with twenty-four precision-guided munitions across the Line of Control (LOC) and the International Border (IB). The strikes were not random or indiscriminate. They were deliberate, based on real-time intelligence, and executed jointly by the tri-services command structure under complete political oversight.
The significance of this response was further underscored in the post-strike media briefing. Two women officers, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, stood beside Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. Their presence sent a powerful signal: India’s strength is inclusive, modern, and unapologetically assertive. This was no longer a reaction from a wounded state but a calibrated message from a rising power.
While India has moved on from its past inertia, Pakistan remains chained to its old doctrine of asymmetric warfare. Since its inception, the Pakistani military establishment has leveraged terrorist groups as strategic assets, a low-cost, high-deniability tool for achieving foreign policy aims it cannot secure through conventional military means. From Kashmir to Kargil and from Mumbai to Pulwama, Pakistan’s reliance on jihadi proxies has been consistent.
But this approach has consequences.
Each attack creates blowback. Internally, Pakistan is now besieged by the very monsters it nurtured. The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), and increasingly hostile elements along the Afghanistan border have launched attacks on the Pakistan Army with growing frequency and sophistication. The army, already stretched thin by internal unrest and economic crises, faces mounting pressure on multiple fronts.
With Operation Sindoor, India has added another layer of complexity. The Pakistani military will be forced to respond—even if only symbolically. Historical precedent suggests that retaliation may come in the form of drone or missile strikes along the LOC or targeting Indian military installations in border areas. The recent collaboration with China and Türkiye on drone technologies makes this a likely scenario.
Such a response, if not proportionally measured, carries risks. Drawing inspiration from Iran’s reaction to Israel (via symbolic but media-amplified drone barrages), Pakistan may attempt to save face through a calculated strike. But this, too, can misfire. In the Iranian case, the ineffective Israeli counterstrike that followed allowed the tension to subside. For India and Pakistan, however, the escalatory ladder is more precarious, more volatile, and less forgiving.
Yet, this moment also offers India a strategic advantage. Pakistan’s defensive posture post-Sindoor betrays its vulnerability. India has seized escalation dominance for the first time in years by demonstrating political will, intelligence coordination, military capability, and diplomatic maturity. It avoided bluster, refrained from political theatrics, and focused on execution.
Furthermore, the jointness on display—from the PM’s CCS meetings to the deployment of precision-guided munitions—shows the maturity of Indian defense doctrine. It reflects a civil-military fusion that is not only functional but formidable.
While casualties may occur due to Pakistan’s likely symbolic response, India’s message is unmistakable: every attack will now carry a cost. It is also important to note that India has not publicized body counts or specific structural damages. This restraint, unlike in previous years, is deliberate. It communicates control, not weakness.
Meanwhile, regional actors are watching. The Taliban regime in Afghanistan, although hostile to Pakistan, may exploit this moment to embolden the TTP. Similarly, the Baloch insurgents might sense opportunity in Pakistan’s distraction. These pressure vectors can bleed Pakistan in ways that go beyond immediate military losses.
The leadership crisis within the Pakistan Army is compounding this issue. As Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa aptly put it, General Asim Munir is a “non-thinking general” whose religiosity trumps realism. He lacks the strategic flexibility of predecessors like Musharraf or the bureaucratic cunning of Bajwa. Munir’s motivations are not rooted in geopolitics but in preserving military dominance through religious nationalism. This makes him unpredictable and potentially reckless.
His bid for an extension in November 2025 adds another personal incentive to provoke, deflect, and dramatize. Unfortunately for Pakistan, its lack of strategic clarity may also hasten the erosion of its fragile security apparatus.
India, in contrast, is not seeking escalation for its own sake. Its strike was not about revenge alone; it demonstrated deterrence, signalling that terrorism will now be met with a proportionate, prepared, and punishing response.
Operation Sindoor has reshaped the rules.
It has given India the strategic initiative, demonstrated its capability to strike with precision, and psychologically shaken Pakistan’s military elite. The appearance of calm in New Delhi masks a depth of preparedness. Indian forces are on high alert. The intelligence grid is tight. And should another provocation come, the response may be even more unforgiving.
The war of narratives is equally crucial. India has avoided chest-thumping. Instead, it allowed actions, not words, to speak. This is psychological warfare at its best. Including women officers in national messaging, the surgical language of press briefings, and the calibrated diplomatic posture signals that a country is moving towards excellent power behavior.
In the coming days, the world will see whether Pakistan retreats to symbolic posturing or attempts a miscalculated counter. But one thing is sure: India will no longer be forced into passivity.
Operation Sindoor has emerged from the ashes of Pahalgam not only as a form of retribution but also as a doctrine.
A doctrine of resolve, readiness, and righteous retaliation.