In the wake of a tragic militant assault on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, India has initiated a series of military strikes targeting specific sites within both Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. These operations, identified by the Indian defense ministry as “Operation Sindoor,” aim to hold accountable those responsible for the April 22 attack that resulted in the deaths of 25 Indians and one Nepali national.
Pakistan has described the strikes as “unprovoked,” with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif asserting that the “heinous act of aggression will not go unpunished.”
The conflict has intensified as Pakistan’s military claims to have downed five Indian aircraft, including a drone, although India has not yet officially responded to these assertions. According to Pakistani military sources, at least 26 individuals have been killed and 46 injured, while Indian authorities report that 15 civilians were killed and 43 hurt due to Pakistani shelling across the de facto border.
Targeted locations and response
On Wednesday morning, India announced that it had struck nine locations believed to house what it refers to as “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and within Pakistan itself. The Indian government emphasized that these strikes were carefully planned to avoid hitting Pakistani military installations, describing the actions as “focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature.” In contrast, Pakistan’s officials reported that strikes impacted civilian areas in Muzaffarabad, Kotli, and Bahawalpur, vehemently denying India’s claims of targeting terrorist camps.
Underlying tensions and Kashmir’s significance
The recent military actions follow a notable rise in tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations, sparked by the April 22 incident in Pahalgam which claimed the lives of 26 individuals. Survivors indicated that the attackers specifically targeted Hindu men, marking the deadliest civilian attack in the region in two decades. This incident also marked a significant surge in hostility since India’s revocation of Article 370 in 2019, which had granted semi-autonomous status to Kashmir.
The killings have ignited widespread outrage in India, prompting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to vow that the nation would pursue the attackers “till the ends of the Earth,” indicating severe repercussions for those found culpable. However, no specific group has been officially named as responsible for the attack, although Indian authorities have suggested that two of the assailants may have originated from Pakistan, leading to renewed allegations of Islamabad’s support for militant activities.
In the ensuing two weeks, both nations engaged in reciprocal measures, including the expulsion of diplomats, visa suspensions, and border closures, heightening expectations of a possible cross-border military engagement reminiscent of past conflicts following the Pulwama attack in 2019.
Kashmir remains a contentious territory claimed in full by both India and Pakistan, with a history of conflict and insurgency since their partition in 1947. Both countries have fought multiple wars over the region, and the ongoing violence threatens to escalate the already fragile situation. International calls for restraint have arisen, with officials from the United Nations and various countries urging dialogue and de-escalation to prevent further conflict.