Tensions between India and Pakistan have sharply escalated following India’s launch of “Operation Sindoor,” a military strike targeting what it claims are terrorist infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
According to an official statement from the Indian government, nine sites were targeted in a “focused, measured and non-escalatory” response.
The strikes come just weeks after a deadly militant attack on April 22 in Pahalgam, a popular tourist destination in Indian-administered Kashmir, left at least 26 people dead—most of them Hindu tourists. Indian authorities say the attackers singled out Hindu men, sparking widespread outrage. Two of the suspected militants are believed to be Pakistani nationals, according to Indian police, though Pakistan has denied any involvement.
India says its strikes deliberately avoided military installations, asserting that the operation aimed only at disrupting planning centers for cross-border terrorism. “India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution,” the government said.
In response, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif accused India of targeting civilian areas and dismissed the claim that terrorist camps were struck. Speaking on Geo TV, Asif said India had launched missiles from within its own airspace, calling the operation a “provocation based on lies.”
Both countries have since taken retaliatory steps including border closures, suspension of a shared river water treaty, and limited exchanges of small arms fire along the Line of Control.
