India Unleashes ‘Operation Sindoor’—Missile Strikes Rock Pakistan and Kashmir
DECK
Tit-for-tat strikes intensify fears of broader conflict as India targets ‘terror hubs’; Pakistan retaliates, claiming aircraft downed and casualties on the ground.
KEY FACTS
- What: India launches missile strikes under "Operation Sindoor."
- Where: Targets hit in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Punjab province.
- When: Early Wednesday morning, local time.
- Why: In retaliation for a deadly attack on Indian tourists in Pahalgam, Kashmir.
- Casualties: At least 8 killed, 35+ injured in Pakistan; child among the dead.
- Response: Pakistan claims it downed Indian jets, captured soldiers, and struck back.
- International Reaction: UN calls for restraint; President Trump urges calm.
SITUATION SNAPSHOT
As dawn broke over the rugged Himalayan frontier, echoes of explosions reverberated across both sides of the Line of Control. Billows of smoke trailed upward from bombed-out structures, while civilians scrambled for shelter amid the renewed shelling. India’s Operation Sindoor had begun—and with it, a fresh wave of tension between two nuclear neighbors.
WHAT WE KNOW
In a dramatic escalation, India’s military confirmed the launch of “Operation Sindoor,” targeting what it described as terrorist infrastructure in both Pakistan-administered Kashmir and across the border in eastern Punjab. A government statement emphasized that the mission was "focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature," insisting that "no Pakistani military facilities have been targeted" and that "India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution."
However, Pakistani officials reported eight civilian deaths and over 35 injuries. One missile reportedly struck a mosque in Bahawalpur, killing a child and injuring two others. In Kashmir’s Muzaffarabad and Kotli regions, several other sites—some religious—were also hit.
Pakistan responded quickly. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif claimed on international television that five Indian aircraft had been brought down and Indian personnel taken into custody. Geo News reported that the retaliation was underway even as shelling resumed along the volatile Line of Control.
WHAT’S NEXT
Both nations remain on high alert, with military build-ups reported near border zones. India is expected to hold a high-level security briefing in the coming hours. Meanwhile, the United Nations has called for diplomatic dialogue and “maximum military restraint.” Experts fear further escalation unless backchannel diplomacy begins swiftly.
VOICES ON THE GROUND
“'Pakistan said that it would respond to any Indian attack against Pakistan, and Pakistan is now responding to that Indian attack,’” said Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder, reporting from Islamabad.
“'Heavy shelling has now resumed on the Line of Control that separates Pakistan-administered Kashmir from Indian-administered Kashmir,’” he added.
A Pakistani military spokesperson told Geo News that “at least five locations, including two mosques, had been hit.” In addition, “'Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted,'” an Indian government release asserted.
CONTEXT
This recent military exchange stems from last month’s attack in Pahalgam, in which 26 tourists were killed. India swiftly blamed Pakistan-based militants and vowed retribution, a claim that Islamabad vehemently denied. The current strikes mark one of the most significant escalations since the 2019 Balakot airstrikes and Pulwama bombing.
Nitasha Kaul, director at the Centre for the Study of Democracy, warned that “the worst affected are going to be the people in the region, the Kashmiris, who are caught between the competing and proprietorial and rival postures and attitudes of India and Pakistan.”
She added, “In that sense, sadly, this was a countdown to a greater escalation, and hopefully it won’t proceed much further beyond what has already happened with these strikes.”
REPORTER INSIGHT
As military posturing intensifies, the risk of miscalculation looms large. On the ground, the atmosphere is charged not only with the acrid smoke of detonations but with the unspoken dread of history repeating itself. With two nuclear states trading blows, even a 'measured' operation can become a spark in a geopolitical tinderbox.
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