#Modi response Pahalgam attack

[insightfultake]

Modi Heard and Replied Loud and Clear

On April 22, 2025, the quiet town of Pahalgam—nestled in Kashmir’s valley of peace—was shaken by an act of cold-blooded barbarity. A group of Pakistan-sponsored terrorists opened fire on a convoy of Indian tourists, killing 26 innocent people. Most were families—parents, children, honeymooners. They weren’t soldiers. They weren’t combatants. They were citizens who came to admire the mountains and went home wrapped in the tricolour.

[financia012]

🇮🇳 India Expels All Pakistani Nationals Within 48 Hours After Deadly Pahalgam Terror Attack 🇵🇰

A Major Diplomatic Shockwave Hits South Asia Amid Rising Tensions | April 2025 Update India Orders Pakistani Nationals to Leave Country in 48 Hours In Wake of Pahalgam Terror Attack | 📰 IntroductionIn a decisive and unprecedented diplomatic move, the Government of India has ordered all Pakistani nationals, including diplomats, to leave Indian territory within 48 hours, following the Pahalgam…

[gojover]

i was debating making this post for a long, long time, because i don’t like getting political on a fandom space, but as an indian, i felt the need to talk about this. i can’t engage in fandom content without feeling deeply guilty & worried for all the soldiers and innocent lives already lost and at stake, so here’s a brief masterpost to spread awareness about what’s going on in jammu & kashmir at the moment.

i have linked all my sources, and have aimed to be as unbiased as possible. if you find any discrepancies or inaccuracies, please don’t hesitate to tell me so that i can edit accordingly.

before i get into any of the actual details, i want to talk about what triggered this entire conflict between india and pakistan: the pahalgam attack, which took place on april 22, 2025.

(it’s also worth knowing that the india vs pakistan conflict over J&K is not something that was caused by this isolated incident; there are decades of history between the two countries dating back to the partition of india. you can read briefly about it here.)

the pahalgam attack was an attack on 26 tourists by five armed militants in a popular tourist destination known as baisaran valley (located in india-administered kashmir), which is surrounded by dense pine forest and is only accessible by foot or horseback.

the militants singled out the men & asked for their religion, before shooting the hindu and christian tourists. the attackers also asked some tourists to recite the islamic kalima to identify non-muslims. of the 26 people killed, 25 were tourists and one was a local muslim pony ride operator who tried to wrestle a gun from the attackers before being shot. the tourists included several newlywed couples, and the men were shot point-blank in front of their wives.

some hindu men were forced to remove their trousers to check for a lack of circumcision before being shot at close range. the militants also told some hindu women that they were spared so that they could narrate the horrors of their mens’ killing to the prime minister of india, narendra modi.

the national investigation agency (NIA) formally took over the pahalgam terrorist attack case on april 27. the lashkar-e-taiba proxy the resistance front (TRF), claimed responsibility for the attack.

in retaliation to the pahalgam attack, india launched operation sindoor on may 6, 2025.

the indian armed forces carried out precision strikes at around 1 am on terror infrastructure in pakistan and pakistan-occupied kashmir (PoK). nine sites were targeted, and each were selected because they had a history of association with major terror plots and infiltration attempts against india (such as the 2001 parliament attack, the 2019 pulwama attack, and the 26/11 mumbai attacks). no pakistani military facilities were targeted, as stated during the press briefing on may 7.

you can read about the nine sites & why they were targeted here.

as an additional note, it is worth noting that the central government directed all states and union territories to conduct mock drills on may 7 across 244 categorised civil defence districts in the event of a hostile attack.

following the indian attacks on may 7, pakistan resorted to unprovoked artillery shelling across the line of control (LoC), resulting in 13 casualties, with the poonch sector in jammu being the worst hit. this is not the first time pakistan has violated the LoC ceasefire agreement.

as of the time of writing, several cities/districts present on the border of the two countries have been facing blackouts. this comes as a counter-offensive against pakistani drones and missiles which violated the indian airspace several times over the entire western border with the intent of targeting indian military facilities along the western and northern frontiers. however, india was able to neutralise this attempt to hit military stations in jammu and other locations.

tl;dr: this thread on x offers a more concise version of the same events.

the main reason i wanted to make this post is because i saw this post on x and had to take a minute to recover because. genuinely what the actual fuck. in my opinion, a caucasian british person should be the last person speaking up on this matter. the selective activism and hypocrisy is glaringly obvious.

edit: here are a few more resources that provided good insights into what’s happening

articles on the pahalgam attack and its immediate aftermath: one two three

regarding the TRF statement: one

more articles about india/pakistan escalating the war: one two three

posts about what’s been happening in azad kashmir: one two

how to download tiktok (if you’re indian): here

please take the time to read through these and educate yourselves if you’re unaware of what the conflict is about.

[ishaaron-ishaaron-me]

Series of real events for people who want the real information:-

Yes the government had a security failure that is the truth but do you guys wanna know why this incident was “blown out of proportion”

It’s a fucking terrorist attacking and of course attacks like these will garner the attention of the entire country.

If you know anything about the terrorists attacks in India, majority of the those terrorists since decades have been muslim! This attack was so called “blown out of proportion” because this attack was on civilians. In the past decade MAJOR terror attacks have been against the army, and then put of nowhere on 22nd April 26 CIVILIANS are dead.

Another reason why this attack gained so much attention is because after 26/11 Mumbai bombings, this attack killed the most civilians. Mind you, 26/11 was in 2008, so something like this happening after a big time gap will get a lot of attention. It is a nation security threat after all!

Also HOW they killed people also brought outage. Men had to pull down their pants so terrorists could check for circumcision, some were asked to read the kalma (declaration of faith in Islam) to prove they were not Muslim, women were told “tell this to modi”, after their husbands were killed in front of them. Which nation won’t go lose their minds if something like this happens.

Also what do you mean Indian occupied Kashmir town? I mean what the fuck? That region is under India’s administration of Kashmir. This can itself be a whole another post so I will just end by saying that Kashmir was, is and will remain an integral and indivisible part of India.

India blames Pakistan because responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Pakistani based terrorist organization, The Resistance Front, or TRF, that is an offshoot of the terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba. Also, Pakistan could kick these terrorists out if they wanted too, but they have remained in that country for decades. Also, it is a well known fact that Pakistani economy has gone to the dogs, so how are terrorist organizations getting their funding? Why did the Pahalgam attack happen 6 days after the army cheif’s speech about the two nation threat y where he claimed Kashmir was the jugular vein of Pakistan? Maybe because the government supports terrorism………

This is why India suspended the Indus water treaty….. (aside from it being a really unequal and shit diplomatic decision by Nehru ji)

Also, the reason why India refused to have an investigation with Pakistan was because the last time when they did it in 2008, after the Mumbai terror attacks, Pakistan just declared that there was no Pakistani involvement and that India had bombed itself 🤡 . Honestly idgaf if you supported the Indian government of that time period or not, but I think we can all agree that even though Indian political parties hit a new low every few days, we have not reached a low where we ATTACK OURSELVES. Also, later Mumbai terror attacks were linked to the same Lashkar-e-Taiba…….

As for the statement saying that the Indian government is “rile their people up keeping them distracted from the fact that India had no security in an area with 2000+ civilians.” Well maybe because the top most priority at that time was to give a FITTING RESPONSE TO THOSE TERRORISTS? EVEN THE FUCKING OPPOSITION IN INDIA OWAISI AND SHASHI THAROOR ACKNOWLEDGED THIS FACT AND ENCOURAGED TEH INDIAN GOVERNMENT’S EFFORTS TO GIVE PAKISTANI TERRORISTS A FITTING RETALIATION!

AND THESE GUYS HATE MODI! If you would leave those 3 in a room those oldies would fight each other to death, okay? OWAISI and THAROOR are no modi supporters.

By the way India had a precision strike on terrorists camps and the names of the targets are given below:-

Targets in Pakistan-occupied J&K:

1. Sawai Nala camp in Muzaffarabad- This was a training centre for Lashkar-e-Taiba. Terrorists involved in October 20, 2024 attack in Sonmarg, October 24, 2024 attack in Gulmarg, April 22, 2025 attack in Pahalgam were all trained here.

2. Syedna Bilal Camp in Muzaffarabad- This was a staging area of Jaish-e-Mohammed. This was also a weapons, explosives and jungle survival training centre

3. Gulpur camp in Kotli - This was a base camp of LeT, that was active in Rajouri and Poonch areas of Jammu. Attacks in Poonch on April 20, 2023, and June 9, 2024, were carried out by terrorists trained here.

4. Barnala camp in Bhimber- This was also a weapons handling, explosives and jungle survival training centre

5. Abbas camp in Kotli- Fidayeen of the LeT were prepared here. It had a capacity to train 15 terrorists.

Targets within Pakistan

1. Sarjal camp in Sialkot- Terrorists who killed four J&K police personnel in March 2025, received their training at this camp.

2. Mehmoona Joya camp in Sialkot- Pathankot air force base camp attack was planned and carried out from this terrorist camp.

3. Markaz Taiba camp in Muridke - Terrorists who participated in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks were trained here. Ajmal Kasab and David Headley received training here.

4. Markaz Subhanallah in Bahawalpur- This is the HQ of Jaish-e-Muhammad. Recruitment, training, and indoctrination were carried out here.

-source @rhysaka and you all can double check it as it is directly from briefing by the defense department

ALSO HOW THE FUCK DOES SINDOOR MEAN OWNING A WOMAN, NEXT THING YOU FUCKERS WILL SAY IS THAT WEARING A WEDDING RING IS MISOGYNISTIC.

Also this is the reason why this op was named Operation Sindoor:-

credits @rhysaka

Also how the fuck is this a complete takeover? We attacked 9 different terrorists houses and not civilian places! If India wanted to take over they would have attacked the Pakistani Military, right?

Also before you bring in the mosque it was a Jaish-e-Mohammad hideout ffs! I am also sad by the fact that a kid died but this is not the fault of the Indian army but of Pakistani state sponsored terrorism! It was an unintended, and a devastating collateral damage and my condolences go to the families who were not involved and suffered losses or casualties. But we also need to have the right to protect ourselves.

[your-mom-friend]

gonna preface this with saying I don't like modi, have never voted bjp, think israel is committing a genocide although hamas is a terrorist org and netanyahu is evil for what he's doing to gaza, I hate what Modi has done to normalise hate and Islamophobia and casteism.

I also don't want the ind pak war to escalate, I want it to be over as soon as possible and I feel for civilians on both sides of the border, I feel tense myself, I can't even imagine what folks nearer to the border on either side are feeling.

BUT. I do want to call out that the TRF did claim responsibility for the attack in Pahalgam AND that pakistan has been avoiding naming this entity. This was reported not just in Indian new but in various international reports as well including al jazeera (the part about TRF claiming responsibility).

You could argue that the TRF itself is a result of modi's policies and article 370 being revoked but that doesn't mean it isn't a terrorist organization.

Additionally - there is a LOT of precedence for pak shielding terrorists in the recent past. in all the previous attacks pakistan has claimed willingness to co-operate in investigating the attacks but has ignored all evidence shared by India, including dna samples. They've repeatedly let LeT members go free in spite of evidence from India.

So I don't think cooperating with their army would've yielded in anything. It's also pretty well known that in their case, the army controls the govt and not the other way around.

Again, this is NOT to make light of civilians deaths in the course of these attacks. I think it's heartbreaking that kids have died as part of the attacks but I feel, especially this time, that the onus ought to rest more with an army that allows known terrorists to use civilians as shields.

Geopolitics really isn't black and white.

Also I realized after typing all this that you might not wanna post more ind x pak stuff rn so I guess feel free to ignore also!

And stay safe 🤞💖

Y know, the thing is that I actually do agree with essentially everything you said. Geopolitics ISNT black and white and the Pakistani government has had a history of not taking accountability.

But I feel, and I think you’ll agree with me, that war still isn’t the answer. I think that in recent years war has become a normalised concept to the entire world. Before, the concept that a country could go to war with another country seemed larger than life, a looming shadow that governments made a show of trying to avoid. With the spread of internet and social media, war has become normalised. Violence has become normalised. India and Pakistan are going to war? Okay so what. There’s more than 50 others going on in the world AS WE SPEAK. And with a swipe on your screen you can see them all play out one after the other.

People understood that war has innocent deaths. And at one point, that seemed too high a cost. Now? It’s accepted. Governments have gotten so effective at propaganda and blocking information that someone who hasn’t left their country would never know the extent of propaganda they’ve been fed.

I used to live in the Middle East. I grew up in UAE. I thought it was one of the best places in the world to be, despite their views on Queer people. After I moved for college? That’s when I found out about UAE’s complicity in slave labour, funding genocides in African countries to get their gold, Sheikh Rashid’s harassment of his now ex-wife Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein and her children. None of this was known to me. It didn’t come up naturally for me to search before.

It’s been seen in the US that if two people, say a Democrat and a Republican, Google the same question about a political stance, they will still get answers tailored to their bias.

Israeli children are brought up to hate the Palestinians literally from primary school.

Information is easy to withhold. Information is easy to manipulate. If you don’t consistently look for sources to oppose your own view point you won’t find it. And if you’ve been brought up with certain views then it’s almost impossible to get unbiased news because your algorithms been poisoned from Day 1.

What I think, at the end of the day, is that Indians and Pakistanis are not immune to propaganda. In fact we may be more susceptible to it. We have gotten used to convenience, we’ve gotten used to the idea that the people in charge know more than we do and we’re comfortable in letting them make the decisions. Do i think Pakistan has done a lot? Sure, maybe. Do I think India has also done a lot? Yeah.

The narrative I keep hearing is that Pakistan has been attacking India over and over and India’s been taking it and now they’re finally fighting back. I don’t know if I believe that a country that has previously been so brutal to it’s own citizens as to impose things like CAA, the crackdown on the farmers protest among others, wouldn’t retaliate against Pakistan in some measure. I’m coming to know through Instagram comments sections of all places, that Pakistanis think that their government hasn’t even fired missiles. If they can be fed such efficient propaganda, i shudder to think how much we could be told that isn’t true.

Indian media is so comfortable in faking news that people are literally making memes about how much each and every major Indian news station has faked. The government’s response? Don’t give out fake news, it might compromise our military positions. Not “don’t do it because it’s immoral” not “don’t do it because it violates journalistic integrity”. Don’t lie because it could give them more information about our forces.

People have become too comfortable in letting half truths, incomplete data and propaganda become the basis of their nationalism.

Pakistan is escalating things, India is responding to escalation. Regardless of who started it, it is innocent human lives who are paying the price. We have all become too comfortable in the idea that war is the only option. Until and unless both sides can pressure their governments into figuring out ANY OTHER solution, the only other way out of this without all out war is for other countries to step in and facilitate. And I don’t think both sides will. Extremism is on both sides of this conflict, it’s fuelling nationalistic ideals that will only lead to more outrage.

[tieflingkisser]

From Gaza to Kashmir: India’s attack on Pakistan is straight out of the Israeli playbook

India's May 6 attack on Pakistan shows how the world's inaction on the Gaza genocide has inspired Narendra Modi to escalate in Kashmir. From New Delhi to Tel Aviv, the ideological affinity between Zionism and Hindutva has never been clearer.

from the article:

When Israel bombs a hospital, the world debates whether Hamas was hiding beneath it. When India bombs a mosque, it shrugs – wasn’t it probably a ‘terror hideout’? The fact that the international community has tolerated Israel dropping US-made bombs on refugee camps has set a chilling precedent for other governments to commit atrocities with the same blank check.

India has been paying attention.

This week, that belief manifested violently. On May 6, India launched missile strikes into Pakistan under the banner of Operation Sindoor, a name that carries deep Hindu cultural connotations. The Indian government claimed these were precision attacks on “terrorist infrastructure”, a response to the April 22 attack in the town of Pahalgam in the Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 Hindu tourists. Yet, no concrete evidence has linked that attack to Pakistan. It hasn’t mattered. The facts don’t need to check out when the purpose is performance, when the goal is to signal dominance.

Nine targets were struck across Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. In Bahawalpur, a missile hit a mosque. A child was killed alongside seven others. Thirty-one men and women have been injured so far. Civilians are dead, mourning families are left in ruins, and the Indian government rushed to declare the operation ‘measured’. But we’ve heard that word before. It’s the same sanitized language used every time Israel flattens a school in Rafah or bombs a hospital in Khan Younis. Surgical, precise, justified. The language of colonial warfare, carefully rehearsed.

The solidarity between Zionism and Hindutva is not metaphorical. It is material. India is now one of Israel’s largest arms buyers. Surveillance systems perfected in the West Bank now watch Kashmiri neighborhoods. Israeli drones that terrorize Gaza skies are sold to India to monitor unrest in Muslim majority regions. The exchange isn’t just in weapons, it’s in ideology, strategy, and impunity.

[mariacallous]

It was widely understood that India would respond militarily to what it called a Pakistan-sponsored terrorist attack that occurred on April 22 in the town of Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir, which resulted in the deaths of more than two dozen people. But very few anticipated the far-reaching nature of that response—and the resulting counter response.

By last week, India and Pakistan were flying armed drones above each other’s territories, targeting military installations, and spreading panic about the possibility of a full-scale war or even nuclear weapons use. On Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a cease-fire “[a]fter a long night of talks.”

The escalatory dynamic was a surprise because it marked an apparent shift in India’s military strategy. This was not the first time that India has been at the receiving end of Pakistan’s well-documented support for terrorist attacks on its territory. But—at least since Manmohan Singh of the Indian National Congress party was serving as prime minister more than a decade ago—New Delhi had traditionally responded according to a doctrine of strategic restraint, placing a priority on avoiding escalation.

By contrast, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, taking note of public sentiment deeply in favor of retaliation, gradually scaled up India’s response to last month’s attack, culminating in a missile attack against Pakistan on May 7. Some Indian army experts have described it as a strategy of “calculated pressure” that is calibrated to avoid a full-scale war but resolved to impose decisive costs on Pakistan.

Judged according to those standards, it’s unclear if India succeeded. Its retaliation on May 7 certainly soothed the anger of Indians. But if it was aiming to deter continued Pakistani support for extremists and compel Islamabad to end its alleged support for terrorism, then there’s reason to remain unconvinced.

Among the nine sites that India claims to have hit was the headquarters of a U.S.-sanctioned group called Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), located nearly 100 kilometers (62 miles) inside Pakistan in Bahawalpur. The militant jihadi group is led by Masood Azhar, who was born in the city and runs the organization as a family enterprise. While he was behind a string of attacks against India including the 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament, his brother is believed to have been involved in the killing of Daniel Pearl, a Pakistan-based reporter for the Wall Street Journal..

In attacking edifices linked to Azhar and JeMt, India was sending a message that it is aware of these groups’ hideouts and is prepared to strike them.

In total, India said it hit nine targets, including a site in Muridke that it claimed was linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), another Pakistan-based terror group, which was behind the siege of Mumbai in 2008, during which 166 people across more than 26 nationalities were massacred. LeT is led by Hafiz Saeed, who is considered a specially designated global terrorist by the United States and has a bounty of up to $10 million.

Syed Ata Hasnain, a former commander of the key Kashmir-based 15 Corps of the Indian Army, wrote in a column for Indian broadcaster NDTV that Muridke is a “known LeT stronghold near Lahore,” adding that it had historically “been off-limits due to proximity to civilian areas.” But the fact that India has now struck it conveyed that New Delhi would respond to terrorist groups wherever they are and weaken their support in their bastions. The move “signals an acceptance in terms of the kind of escalation acceptable to India. It also undermines Hafiz Saeed’s ideological stronghold and recruitment network,” he wrote.

Zahid Gishkori, a Pakistani investigative journalist based in Islamabad, said that the first Indian strikes on Bahawalpur and Muridke looked “precise.”

“The facts on the ground and my talks with locals suggest that India hit precise targets—execution looks accurate,” he told me. “In Bahawalpur, the hit on the madrassa or the mosque was accurate [in] that the family members of Masood Azhar were said to be killed. Although no one is confirming on record, everyone—locals in particular—knows his blood relatives and friends were there.”

One of India’s military objectives was to display superiority in military capabilities.

“There is a lot of anger in Pakistan over how India evaded the radars, and locals asked how the Pakistani anti-missile system did not work,” Gishkori added.

Hasnain argued that another one of the hits—on Sialkot, “a strategically located military-industrial town near the Jammu border,” home to Pakistani strike formations, supply depots, and forward command structures—was intended to convey that if provoked, India will target these, too—“not just militant proxies.”

When Pakistan responded in kind to India’s retaliation with missiles, drones, and shelling across the border, the Indian government boasted about its air defense system—the Russian-made S-400 missile system—which the government said had efficiently eliminated armed drones hovering above various Indian cities and military installations. It also claimed that it had damaged Pakistan’s own air defense system in Lahore.

However, India is quieter on the losses that it has reportedly endured. Pakistan claimed that it downed five Indian fighter jets, including the state-of-the-art French export—the Dassault Rafale fighter. While Pakistan hasn’t produced evidence of its feat, CNN reported that according to a French intelligence source, at least one Rafale was downed.

In the fog of disinformation, some analysts were worried about an accidental full-scale conventional war between two equally committed armies. Rahul Bedi, an Indian defense journalist and analyst, said that on balance, India and Pakistan’s armed forces were “evenly matched,” and he worried about the nationalist fervor and unrealistically high expectations from Indian soldiers taking hold of his country.

Moreover, the jury is still out on whether a limited military response inside Pakistan will deter Pakistan from sheltering anti-India groups or aggravate the situation further by empowering the Pakistani Army at home.

Taha Siddiqui, a Paris-based Pakistani journalist in exile who fled his country in the fear of arrest and possible assassination by the Pakistani Army, said that although it isn’t clear if the Pakistan army orchestrated the April attack it does “allow militants who orchestrate such attacks, so they are complicit in that sense.” He added that, “just recently Pakistan’s army chief said Hindus and Muslims can’t live together, he was kind of dog whistling, encouraging such a thing.”

“Since ’99, Pakistan has instigated a low-intensity conflict—their idea was ‘this is how we are going to keep the conflict alive, by backing anti-India groups,’” he said. “The thinking has been that India will never do anything in response to terrorism they commit inside Indian territory” Siddiqui added. “Now, India has.”

“But I am not sure if Pakistan will learn anything,” Siddiqui said. “It is a security state, and the military uses perceived and actual threats to justify its overarching presence, its big budget, its political interference. It is unlikely that the military will say: Now India has exposed us, and we should rethink. Instead, they will use India’s attack inside Pakistan to further strengthen their position in the country.”

A former Indian diplomat who spoke on the condition of anonymity, who for years sat at the table where many of India’s responses to Pakistan were drafted, said it was still too early to say whether India’s new strategy—punitive deterrence instead of strategic restraint—has worked.

“If, in the next 10 years, India does not face a terrorist attack, then of course you can say the kinetic response worked. But if it is only slightly better, then that isn’t adequate reason to take the risks such a strategy entails,” the former diplomat told me.

After the 2008 attack in Mumbai, the Indian government exposed and shamed Pakistan internationally and opted for diplomatic ways to deter Islamabad from supporting anti-India groups. The diplomat asserted that, for a long time afterward, there was relative peace. India faced the next major attack in 2016, when JeM terrorists crossed over into Uri, a town in India-administered Kashmir, and slaughtered 19 Indian soldiers. By that time the Modi government was in power, and it carried out what it called a “surgical strike” and sent ground troops to hit a JeM camp in Pakistani-administered Kashmir.

The next attack on India came in 2019, in the Pulwama district of Indian-administered Kashmir, where 40 Indian soldiers were killed and JeM claimed responsibility. India went a step further and this time hit a JeM base in the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but it used a limited strike. That episode ended with Pakistan returning an Indian pilot who was captured by Pakistani forces.

And yet, the terrorists returned to carry out a more vicious attack, this time on tourists.

“India took kinetic action in 2016; there was no attack for three more years. In response to the attack in 2019, again, India hit deeper inside,” the Indian diplomat added. “Now you have had another attack in 2025, and you went deep inside Pakistani territory, which invited their retaliation and could have escalated. The point is: Is this better or worse” than strategic restraint?

India’s opposition Congress party has accused the Modi government of failing in its attempt to lobby against Pakistan at the International Monetary Fund, which approved a roughly $1 billion loan for Islamabad in the middle of the India-Pakistan crisis.

The Indian opposition has also asked if New Delhi has accepted third-party mediation after Trump announced the cease-fire and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote that India and Pakistan will “start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site.” India has painstakingly avoided Western arbitration in the dispute over Kashmir, which it believes is a bilateral issue that could get unnecessarily complicated if any global actors intervene with their own agendas in mind.

Syed Akbaruddin, a former Indian ambassador to the United Nations, told Foreign Policy that India’s hit on Pakistan was “certainly a telling blow.” He added: “India has basically shown Pakistan that nobody is there to stop India, and Pakistan did not have the capabilities to stop it from carrying out the strikes.”

But Akbaruddin wasn’t sure if that will end Pakistani-backed terrorism on Indian soil.

[partisan-by-default]

India has announced measures targeting Pakistan, a day after 26 people were killed by gunmen at a Himalayan tourist attraction in Indian-administered Kashmir.

They include the closure of the main border crossing linking the two countries, the suspension of a landmark water-sharing treaty, the expulsion of diplomatsand an order for some Pakistani visa holders to leave within 48 hours.

Pakistani officials, who have denied the country's role in the attack, are meeting on Thursday to come up with a response, its foreign minister said.

The attack in Pahalgam was one of the deadliest in recent memory for the restive region - and is threatening to aggravate already icy bilateral ties.

India and Pakistan both claim Kashmir in full but control it only in parts. Since India's partition and the creation of Pakistan in 1947, the nuclear-armed neighbours have fought wars over the territory.

The Indian government has responded furiously to the attack and has signalled it holds Pakistan indirectly responsible.India has long accused successive governments in Islamabad of supporting armed groups in the region, which Pakistan strongly denies.

"Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X. "Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger."

India also said it would suspend the Indus Water Treaty - a treaty that has been in place since 1960 and survived decades of hostile diplomacy.

[humanrightsupdates]

Deadly Attack on Tourists in Jammu and Kashmir

Indian Government Should Respect Rights, Prevent Mob Reprisals

The April 22 attack by gunmen that killed 26 people, mostly Hindu tourists, in the town of Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir state has heightened tensions between India and Pakistan. The Indian authorities say the assailants are allied to a Pakistan-based Islamist group who, according to witnesses, confirmed that the victims were Hindu before shooting them.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged that the gunmen and those who organized the attack will be punished “bigger than they can imagine.”

However, angry rhetoric by nationalist broadcast networks and social media users is sparking fears of Hindu mob revenge attacks against Muslims, particularly Kashmiris. Some of India’s state governments carried out mass arrests of Muslims to identify irregular migrants. Police in the state of Uttar Pradesh filed criminal charges against two activists for posts criticizing the government’s failure to ensure security in Pahalgam. In Jammu and Kashmir, security forces have imposed summary punishment, blowing up the homes of alleged militants—actions that the Supreme Court has already prohibited after similar abuses elsewhere.

The government’s response is counterproductive. Despite decades of serious human rights violations by Indian security forces in Jammu and Kashmir, Kashmiris came out in large numbers to protest against the attack in Pahalgam. Several survivors said that local Kashmiris had protected and supported them. A Kashmiri tour guide, the only Muslim among those killed, was targeted when he tried to stop the gunmen. Many Kashmiris have expressed anger with the militant groups. "Those who did this claim they did it for us,” Jammu and Kashmir’s Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said. “But did we ask for this? None of us is with this attack.

[affairsmastery]

In his first address after the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives, PM Modi declared it an assault on the very soul of Bharat. As the nation mourns, he paid silent tribute to the victims, vowing justice beyond imagination.

India’s response? Swift and strong—diplomatic ties with Pakistan slashed, visas revoked, borders sealed, and the Indus Waters Treaty put on hold.

Meanwhile, locals like Irshad Ahmad joined rescue efforts, ferrying security forces on ATVs through the inaccessible Baisaran Valley. His emotional account reflects a Kashmir united in grief, strength, and resolve.

All eyes now on today’s all-party meeting in Parliament—India prepares for its next decisive move.

[rtanjirr]

The current situation between India and Pakistan in 2025 is highly tense, marked by a significant escalation in hostilities following a terrorist attack on April 22, 2025, in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, which killed 26 people, mostly tourists. This incident has reignited longstanding tensions over the disputed Kashmir region, pushing the two nuclear-armed neighbours toward the brink of conflict. Below is a detailed overview of the current status based on available information:

### Key Developments

1. Pahalgam Attack and Immediate Fallout:

- On April 22, 2025, gunmen attacked tourists in Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam, killing 26 people (25 Indian nationals and one Nepali) and injuring over 20. The assailants reportedly targeted non-Muslims, making it one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in the region since 2000.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_India%25E2%2580%2593Pakistan_standoff)[](https://time.com/7282263/india-pakistan-crisis-pahalgam-attack/)

- India accused Pakistan of sponsoring the attack, alleging "cross-border linkages" to Pakistan-based militants, specifically linking the attack to The Resistance Front (TRF), believed to be an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). TRF initially claimed responsibility but later retracted the claim.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_India%25E2%2580%2593Pakistan_standoff)[](https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/whatsinblue/2025/05/india-pakistan-emergency-closed-consultations.php)


- Pakistan denied any involvement, condemning the attack but asserting that India provided no credible evidence of Pakistani complicity.

(https://time.com/7282263/india-pakistan-crisis-pahalgam-attack/)

(https://www.rferl.org/a/india-pakistan-war-nuclear-kashmir-modi-water-treaty/33396913.html)

2. Diplomatic and Economic Escalation:

- India's Response:

- Suspended the Indus Waters Treaty (1960), a critical water-sharing agreement, marking the first such suspension since its inception. This move was labeled an "act of war" by Pakistan, as it threatens Pakistan’s water supply from rivers flowing through Indian-administered Kashmir.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_India%25E2%2580%2593Pakistan_standoff)

(https://time.com/7280374/india-pakistan-kashmir-pahalgam-terror-attack-tensions-history-escalations-explainer/)

- Expelled Pakistani diplomats, closed the Attari-Wagah border crossing, banned Pakistani nationals from India, and revoked all previously issued visas.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_India%25E2%2580%2593Pakistan_standoff)

- Banned Pakistan-based YouTube channels and Instagram accounts of Pakistani celebrities for spreading "provocative" content.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_India%25E2%2580%2593Pakistan_standoff)

- Pakistan's Response:

- Suspended the Simla Agreement (1972), which established the Line of Control (LoC) and committed both nations to peaceful dispute resolution.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_India%25E2%2580%2593Pakistan_standoff)

- Closed its airspace to Indian aircraft, suspended trade (including via third countries), expelled Indian diplomats, and revoked visas for Indian nationals. The Kartarpur Corridor for Sikh pilgrims remained open.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_India%25E2%2580%2593Pakistan_standoff)

- Warned that any disruption of water flow would be considered an act of war and announced plans to pursue legal action through the World Bank, which brokered the Indus Waters Treaty.

(https://www.reuters.com/world/pakistan-defence-minister-says-military-incursion-by-india-is-imminent-2025-04-28/)

3. Military Escalation:

- Skirmishes Along the Line of Control (LoC):

- Armed skirmishes began on April 24, 2025, with both sides exchanging small-arms fire and artillery across the LoC at multiple locations, including Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch, and Sialkot. These clashes have continued intermittently, violating the 2003 Ceasefire Agreement for multiple consecutive nights.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_India%25E2%2580%2593Pakistan_border_skirmishes)

- On April 24, an Indian soldier was killed, and two others were wounded in a gunfight with insurgents in Udhampur, while two insurgents were killed near Uri.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_India%25E2%2580%2593Pakistan_border_skirmishes)

- An Indian Border Security Force soldier was captured by Pakistan Rangers after unintentionally crossing into Pakistani territory at the Ferozepur border.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_India%25E2%2580%2593Pakistan_border_skirmishes)

- Missile Strikes:

- On May 6, 2025, India launched "Operation Sindoor," striking nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, including Kotli, Muzaffarabad, and Ahmed Pur East, using Rafale jets armed with SCALP missiles and AASM Hammer bombs. Pakistan reported at least three civilian deaths, including a child, and 12 injuries.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_India%25E2%2580%2593Pakistan_border_skirmishes)[](https://time.com/)

- Pakistan’s military confirmed the strikes, stating that its air force prevented Indian aircraft from entering Pakistani airspace. Pakistan vowed to respond "at the time and place of our choosing."

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_India%25E2%2580%2593Pakistan_border_skirmishes)

- Military Build-Up:

- Pakistan has deployed heavy tanks, artillery, and troops to the border, with reports of troop movements from Balochistan to the LoC.

- India has reinforced its forces, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi granting the military “complete operational freedom” to respond.

(https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/4/30/kashmir-attack-how-india-might-strike-pakistan-what-history-tells-us)

- Both nations are on high alert, with Pakistan’s Defense Minister stating that nuclear weapons would only be used if there is a “direct threat to our existence.”

(https://www.reuters.com/world/pakistan-defence-minister-says-military-incursion-by-india-is-imminent-2025-04-28/)

4. International Response:

- The United States, through Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has urged de-escalation, engaging with Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The U.S. condemned the attack but encouraged both sides to avoid escalation.

(https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/01/world/asia/india-pakistan-kashmir-de-escalation.html)

(https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/4/29/pakistan-minister-warns-of-possible-indian-military-strike-in-twenty-four-thirty-six-hours)

- The United Nations Security Council held closed consultations on May 5, 2025, at Pakistan’s request, with Assistant Secretary-General Mohamed Khaled Khiari briefing on the crisis. UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the attack and offered mediation, emphasizing the need to avoid a military confrontation.

(https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/whatsinblue/2025/05/india-pakistan-emergency-closed-consultations.php)

- Other global powers, including China, Britain, and Gulf states, have called for restraint, with some Gulf countries reportedly facilitating backchannel talks.

(https://www.reuters.com/world/pakistan-defence-minister-says-military-incursion-by-india-is-imminent-2025-04-28/)

- A UN Security Council press statement on April 25 condemned the attack, and some members expressed interest in the role of the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) in monitoring the LoC.

(https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/whatsinblue/2025/05/india-pakistan-emergency-closed-consultations.php)

5. Domestic and Regional Context:

- India:

- The attack has intensified domestic pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to act decisively, given his government’s focus on stabilizing Kashmir since revoking its special status in 2019. The attack is seen as a security failure, prompting calls for military retaliation.

(https://www.cfr.org/blog/india-and-pakistan-brink-conflict-over-kashmir)

- Indian media and political rhetoric have leaned heavily toward military action, with Modi promising to punish those responsible “beyond their imagination.”

(https://www.rferl.org/a/india-pakistan-war-nuclear-kashmir-modi-water-treaty/33396913.html)

- Pakistan:

- Pakistan is grappling with economic fragility, political turmoil following the ousting of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, and domestic unrest, including Baloch insurgent attacks. A military conflict could rally domestic support but risks exacerbating these crises.

(https://theconversation.com/india-and-pakistan-are-on-war-footing-can-they-be-brought-back-from-the-brink-255504)

(https://www.foreignaffairs.com/india/india-and-pakistan-are-perilously-close-brink)

- Public sentiment in Pakistan is wary of war, with many viewing it as an additional burden amidst existing economic and political challenges.

(https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/02/world/asia/pakistan-india-kashmir.html)

- Kashmir:

- The region remains a flashpoint, with India’s 2019 revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s autonomy fueling local alienation. The attack has led to a sweeping clampdown by Indian forces, with hundreds arrested.

(https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/27/world/asia/india-pakistan-kashmir.html)

(https://www.foreignaffairs.com/india/india-and-pakistan-are-perilously-close-brink)

### Risk of Escalation

- Nuclear Threat: Both nations are nuclear-armed, raising global concerns about the potential for a conflict to escalate into a nuclear exchange. Historical U.S. intelligence reports from the 1990s highlighted the risk of nuclear use in an India-Pakistan conflict, and recent studies suggest a nuclear war could kill millions and cause global climate and food crises.

(https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/india-and-pakistan-intelligence-nuclear-vault/2025-04-22/us-intelligence-south-asian)

- Military Modernization: Since their 2019 clash, both countries have upgraded their military capabilities. India has inducted French Rafale jets and Russia’s S-400 systems, while Pakistan has acquired Chinese J-10 fighters. These advancements increase the stakes and risks of escalation in any conflict.

(https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/with-militaries-upgraded-risks-multiply-any-potential-india-pakistan-conflict-2025-05-05/)

- Lack of Crisis Management: The absence of bilateral crisis management mechanisms, combined with the suspension of key agreements like the Indus Waters Treaty and Simla Agreement, heightens the risk of miscalculation.

(https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/3/dont-see-a-major-war-with-india-but-have-to-be-ready-pakistan-ex-nsa)

- Historical Precedents: Past crises (e.g., 1999 Kargil War, 2019 Pulwama attack) were de-escalated through international mediation and nuclear deterrence, but the current situation is considered more volatile due to the civilian nature of the attack and the breakdown of diplomatic channels.

(https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn4wk22vk4zo)[](https://www.cfr.org/blog/india-and-pakistan-brink-conflict-over-kashmir)

### Current Sentiment and Analysis

- Optimism for De-escalation: Some analysts believe that, like in 2019, a limited Indian strike followed by international mediation could de-escalate the situation. Open communication channels, such as military hotlines, and global calls for restraint support this view.

(https://time.com/7282263/india-pakistan-crisis-pahalgam-attack/)

- Pessimism for Conflict: Others warn that the situation is more dangerous than in 2019 due to the civilian toll, Modi’s political need to project strength, and Pakistan’s economic and political fragility, which could push its leadership to respond aggressively to rally domestic support. The suspension of bilateral treaties and ongoing LoC clashes further reduce de-escalation prospects.

(https://www.cfr.org/blog/india-and-pakistan-brink-conflict-over-kashmir)

### Conclusion

As of May 7, 2025, India and Pakistan are in a precarious standoff, with ongoing military skirmishes, missile strikes, and a severe diplomatic crisis following the Pahalgam attack. The suspension of critical bilateral agreements and mutual accusations have deepened the rift, while international efforts to mediate are underway but face challenges due to the lack of trust between the two nations. While nuclear deterrence and global pressure may prevent an all-out war, the risk of escalation remains high due to the volatile mix of military posturing, domestic pressures, and the absence of robust crisis management mechanisms. The situation continues to evolve, with both sides signaling readiness for further action while global actors urge restraint.

#StopIndoPakWar

#PeaceOverKashmir

#NoMoreLoCClashes

#ChooseDiplomacy

#EndNuclearThreat

#PahalgamForPeace

#IndusForAll

#HealNotHarm

#UnitedForPeace

#NoWarInSouthAsia

[sureshsgupta]

📢 PRESS RELEASE

Date: 07 June 2025

🇮🇳🤝🇦🇲 AICWA Welcomes Armenia’s Cultural Outreach, Pledges to Strengthen Indo-Armenian Cinematic Ties

Mumbai: The All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA), under the leadership of President Er. Suresh Shyamlal Gupta, has officially acknowledged and welcomed the proposal received from the Armenia-India Business Council (AIBC) for enhanced cultural and cinematic collaboration between India and Armenia.

In a formal letter, AIBC extended heartfelt solidarity with India in the aftermath of the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, expressing condolences for the loss of innocent lives and reaffirming their commitment to Indo-Indian friendship and global peace.

In response, AICWA expressed deep gratitude and shared its vision of using cinema as a tool for international cultural diplomacy and unity. The letter also highlighted Armenia’s growing interest in becoming a preferred film destination for Indian productions, citing its:

•Stable and secure environment

•Breathtaking natural landscapes

•Professional film infrastructure

•35% cash rebate for foreign film projects

AICWA affirmed its intent to present this proposal to the following dignitaries and stakeholders:

✅ Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi

✅ Hon’ble Minister of Information & Broadcasting, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw

✅ Hon’ble Minister of Culture, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat

✅ Leading film producers, OTT platforms, channels, music labels & film studios across India

“In a world where politics often divides, cinema has the power to unite. AICWA believes that Indo-Armenian collaboration in storytelling, filmmaking, and cultural events can build a bridge of peace, respect, and mutual growth,” said Er. Suresh Shyamlal Gupta, President of AICWA.

The association welcomed Armenia’s respectful approach, non-political hospitality, and genuine interest in hosting Indian cinema, calling it a sign of deepening people-to-people ties.

This initiative marks a significant step in India’s expanding global soft power, as AICWA continues to promote not only the welfare of Indian cine workers but also India’s cultural presence on the world stage.

| @bollywood | @hollywood | @aicwaofficial |

| #AICWA | #IndiaArmenia | #CulturalDiplomacy | #CinemaForPeace | #GlobalCinema |#IndoArmenianFriendship | #AIBC |#FilmTourism | #CreativeUnity |#Bollywood | #IndiaWithArmenia |#SoftPower | #AICWAVision | #AllIndianCineWorkersAssociation | #CineWorkersFirst |

[werindialive]

Gujarat to Build Operation Sindoor Memorial Park Near Pakistan Border in Kutch

The Gujarat government has announced plans to build a special memorial park near the India-Pakistan border in Kutch to honor the bravery of Indian forces during Operation Sindoor, a recent military response to cross-border attacks.

The park, named ‘Sindoor Van’, will be developed on eight hectares of land in Mirzapar, along the Bhuj-Mandvi road. This area holds historical significance as it hosted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public meeting on May 26, shortly after Operation Sindoor.

Kutch District Collector Anand Patel said, “Sindoor Van is being developed to honor the courage of the Army, Air Force, BSF, and the unity shown by citizens during Operation Sindoor.”

A Forest-Themed Park with Symbolic Plants

The park will be created as a dense green space or micro forest featuring around 10,000 plants per hectare. A variety of herbs, shrubs, and trees, about 35 species, will be planted, with the Sindoor plant being the most prominent. This plant symbolizes strength and sacrifice.

“This will be one of the densest forests in Bhuj,” said Sandeep Kumar, Chief Conservator of Forests, Kutch. “The park will also have dedicated areas for the Army, Air Force, Navy, and BSF, with murals and displays showcasing their efforts during Operation Sindoor.”

A special section of the memorial will be dedicated to the victims of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. Among the 26 victims, three were from Gujarat, and this space will serve as a tribute to them.

Prime Minister’s Special Connection

During his visit to Bhuj, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was gifted a Sindoor plant by women from Madhapar. These women had once played a crucial role in repairing the Bhuj airbase runway within 72 hours during the 1971 war. The Prime Minister said he would plant the gift at his residence, where it would grow into a banyan tree, symbolizing strength and endurance.

Operation Sindoor was India’s strong response to more than 600 missile and drone attacks launched from across the border. According to Abhishek Pathak, Inspector General of BSF’s Gujarat Frontier, about 40% of the attacks were in Gujarat, especially in the Bhuj region, while the rest hit the Barmer area in Rajasthan. Security forces were able to successfully stop all of these attacks.

Memorial Park to Be Ready in 18 Months

The Sindoor Van project is expected to be completed in a year and a half. Once ready, it will not only honor the brave but also become a green landmark symbolizing India’s unity, strength, and commitment to peace.

[digitalverse2023]

India-Pakistan Conflict 2025: A Turning Point in South Asian Geopolitics

Introduction

The year 2025 has seen one of the most significant escalations in Indo-Pakistani relations in recent memory. Sparked by a deadly terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir, the conflict rapidly escalated into a four-day exchange of missile strikes, drone warfare, and fierce rhetoric. Though a ceasefire is currently in place, the region remains on edge, and the geopolitical landscape of South Asia may have been irreversibly altered.

The Spark: Pahalgam Terror Attack

On April 22, 2025, tragedy struck in the scenic town of Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir. A suicide bombing, attributed to The Resistance Front (TRF)—a group linked to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba—killed 26 civilians and injured dozens. This attack reignited long-standing tensions and prompted swift retaliation from New Delhi.

Operation Sindoor: India Strikes Back

India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, a targeted military campaign focusing on terrorist infrastructure across the Line of Control and deep into Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Unlike previous limited engagements, this operation employed drones, airstrikes, and precision-guided missiles. The Indian government called this a decisive move against the “export of terrorism.”

This shift in India's strategy was not just tactical but also symbolic—demonstrating that New Delhi is no longer content with symbolic retribution but aims for concrete degradation of militant capabilities.

Pakistan’s Counteroffensive: Operation Bunyanun Marsoos

In response, Pakistan initiated Operation Bunyanun Marsoos, launching its own series of missile and drone attacks targeting Indian military installations. This marked the first time both nations engaged in coordinated drone warfare, signaling a dangerous new phase in South Asia's military technology race.

Unverified reports suggested Pakistani J-10C jets, sourced from China, may have also been involved in limited aerial skirmishes.

Ceasefire & Global Reactions

By May 10, under pressure from international powers including the United States, China, and several Gulf nations, both sides agreed to a temporary ceasefire. Though the immediate threat of full-scale war was averted, border violations and rhetorical exchanges continued.

Major global actors praised the ceasefire but warned of the fragility of peace in the region.

India’s Strategic and Diplomatic Offensive

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation with a firm message: “No trade, no talks—only PoK [Pakistan-occupied Kashmir] is on the table.” India also launched a diplomatic campaign to highlight Pakistan’s continued sheltering of terror groups, pushing for Islamabad’s re-entry into the FATF grey list and lobbying international financial institutions to halt aid.

Simultaneously, India conducted a national civil defense drill, Operation Abhyaas, preparing citizens for worst-case scenarios including airstrikes and cyber-attacks.

What Lies Ahead?

While the guns may have fallen silent for now, the 2025 conflict represents a major turning point:

Shift in Doctrine: India’s move from symbolic to destructive retaliation suggests a hardened stance on terrorism.

New Warfare Tactics: Use of drones, AI surveillance, and satellite targeting reflects modernization of both militaries.

Global Stakes: With China’s indirect involvement and U.S. diplomatic efforts, South Asia remains a hotbed of great-power interest.

Conclusion

The India-Pakistan Conflict of 2025 has not just been another episode in their fraught relationship—it’s a wake-up call for the region and the world. As both nuclear-armed nations modernize their arsenals and harden their stances, the need for genuine conflict resolution and confidence-building measures becomes more urgent than ever.

[mariacallous]

The terrorist attack in Indian-administered Kashmir last week that killed 26 tourists has laid bare the persistence of militant threats in the region, exposing serious lapses in Indian security and intelligence.

Amid growing calls in India for military action against Pakistan, which New Delhi accuses of backing the militants involved, the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is once again posturing toward cross-border retribution. Yet more than a week after the attack in Pahalgam, India has not made a major military move. It suspended its participation in the Indus Waters Treaty, and both countries have expelled each other’s diplomats and military attaches.

India’s main diplomatic challenge is to secure legitimacy for its actions under international law. It must prove that Pakistan is directly responsible for sponsoring the attack and similar acts of terrorism, as it has in the past. But India has not publicly provided any evidence, while Pakistan has called for an independent investigation. Indian media initially accused a group called the Resistance Front (TRF), which Indian officials say is a proxy of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, but TRF later denied responsibility.

In the days since the attack, India has launched an aggressive campaign aimed at building a strong case and gaining international legitimacy for a possible military strike. According to multiple sources within India’s foreign and security establishment, the government is preparing a dossier of evidence linking militants whom it accuses of conducting the Pahalgam attack to Pakistan’s intelligence services.

India has previously adopted a similar strategy, including after the 2019 suicide bombing in Pulwama, Indian-administered Kashmir, that killed 40 Indian security forces. In the wake of that attack, it shared a dossier among global interlocutors. India retaliated with a cross-border airstrike in Pakistan, which was followed by a military standoff.

In that case, New Delhi presented evidence to the United Nations detailing Pakistan’s support for terrorist groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, which claimed responsibility for the Pulwama attack. It focused on garnering support from global powers and countered Pakistan’s attempts to condemn India’s cross-border strike.

As India works to shore up support this time around, it faces some roadblocks. Pakistan, which is currently a nonpermanent member of the United Nations Security Council, this week managed to successfully block India’s attempts to name TRF in the Security Council’s statement condemning the Pahalgam attack, aided by China. Though the final statement demanded accountability and condemned the “reprehensible act of terrorism,” it did not name the perpetrators or explicitly refer to the Indian government’s jurisdiction—a diplomatic win for Pakistan.

But India is also quietly lobbying both permanent and nonpermanent members of the Security Council, seeking backing—or at least neutrality—if it invokes Article 51 of the U.N. Charter, which permits self-defense in the face of armed attacks.

Ajai Sahni, the executive director of the Institute for Conflict Management in New Delhi, said that though India will present forensic and testimonial proof linking Pakistan to the Pahalgam attack, “no amount of evidence is going to change the fact that China is not going to support any action … which would adversely affect Pakistan,” due to geopolitical interests and its U.N. veto power.

Behind closed doors, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has spoken with his counterparts in Algeria, Greece, Guyana, Panama, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and Somalia—including several currently serving on the Security Council. These calls were preceded by a significant diplomatic outreach in which India briefed dozens of foreign diplomats in New Delhi about Pakistan’s alleged complicity in the recent attack.

Jaishankar said he also received a call from U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres. “Appreciate his unequivocal condemnation of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. Agreed on the importance of accountability. India is resolved that the perpetrators, planners and backers of this attack are brought to justice,” Jaishankar wrote in a post on X.

India has also stepped up pressure on Pakistan at the United Nations. New Delhi’s deputy permanent representative, Yojna Patel, used a recent U.N. forum to accuse Islamabad of “fueling global terrorism,” citing a recent Sky News interview in which Pakistan’s defense minister appeared to acknowledge the country’s historic support for militant groups.

“The whole world has heard the Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif admitting and confessing Pakistan’s history of supporting, training and funding terrorist organizations in a recent television interview,” Patel said at the U.N. forum.

Indian media has also cited a controversial speech in which Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir described Kashmir as his country’s “jugular vein” days before the killings in Pahalgam, linking the statement to the attack.

Indian officials maintain that New Delhi abides by international law, but the challenge lies in securing legitimacy for a military strike, which requires demonstrating enough evidence and then enough support to justify such an action.

Citing an official policy document, an Indian security official told Foreign Policy: “India overwhelmingly tends to issue diplomatic condemnation of military intervention by major powers that are not authorized by the U.N.,” adding that any strike inside Pakistani territory would have to be justified as an act of self-defense under international law.

Meanwhile, Pakistan is preparing to escalate the dispute through international legal channels over what it sees as India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty—a decades-old water-sharing agreement brokered by the World Bank that has survived three wars between the countries.

If India went ahead with a strike against Pakistan, it would not be without precedent. In 2016, Indian troops crossed the Line of Control, the countries’ disputed frontier in Kashmir, in retaliation for an attack on an Indian Army brigade in Uri; they said they inflicted heavy casualties on militant camps. And after the Pulwama attack in 2019, Indian fighter jets carried out an airstrike in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, triggering a brief aerial dogfight.

In both cases, the strikes were politically popular for Modi’s government despite ambiguity about their military effectiveness.

In the wake of the Pahalgam attack, Sahni called instead for a “protracted conflict” strategy spanning cyber, economic, diplomatic, and covert measures to deter Pakistan. “You cannot allow four or six terrorists … to so completely dominate your policy cycle,” he said, warning against retaliation driven by “domestic and political pressure … whipped up for partisan political ends.”

India’s success in securing international legitimacy might hinge on how many U.N. members it can persuade that the Pahalgam attack qualifies as an act of cross-border aggression. Jaishankar’s conversations with counterparts in Guyana and Greece—both of whom expressed support for India’s right to pursue justice—suggest that he is gaining traction. However, with China allied with Pakistan and Pakistan itself serving on the Security Council through 2026, the council’s endorsement is unlikely.

In the short term, eyes will be on the stance adopted by key global players, including the United States, which has not appointed ambassadors to either India or Pakistan since President Donald Trump took office in January. Unlike in 2019, the United States no longer has troops in Afghanistan, whose safety could be threatened by instability in the region.

On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with officials in India and Pakistan. In a call with Jaishankar, he expressed “sorrow for the lives lost in the horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam” and reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to counterterrorism cooperation with New Delhi. According to a State Department spokesperson, Rubio also encouraged India to engage with Pakistan to “de-escalate tensions.”

In a separate call with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Rubio stressed the need to “condemn the terror attack on April 22 in Pahalgam” and pushed for Islamabad’s cooperation in the investigation. “Both leaders reaffirmed their continued commitment to holding terrorists accountable,” according to the State Department readout.

On Thursday, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance brought some clarity on Washington’s position, signaling that it won’t oppose an Indian response as long as it does not lead to a “broader regional conflict,” he said in an interview with Fox News.

After the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which were carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba and killed 166 people, the FBI aided Indian authorities with intelligence cooperation. New Delhi is likely to seek similar help this time.

With both nuclear-armed neighbors now led by governments under intense domestic pressure, the possibility of rapid escalation is very high—even as international calls to step back from the ledge grow. For now, the message from New Delhi is clear: The Pahalgam attack will not go unanswered.

[articlebasket]

Operation Sindoor: Full List of Terror Camps Destroyed by Indian Army in PoK

Operation Sindoor was a decisive and swift military action undertaken by the Indian Armed Forces on May 7, 2025, targeting and destroying nine terrorist camps located in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). This operation was a direct response to the tragic Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 individuals, including tourists.

🎯 Objectives of Operation Sindoor

The primary goals of Operation Sindoor were:

To eliminate key terrorist infrastructures operated by groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

To neutralize high-profile terrorists responsible for past attacks on Indian soil.

To send a clear message deterring future cross-border terrorism.

📍 List of Terror Camps Targeted

The operation focused on the following locations:

Muridke, Punjab (Pakistan): Known as the headquarters of LeT.

Bahawalpur, Punjab (Pakistan): A significant base for JeM activities.

Muzaffarabad, PoK: A strategic location for multiple terror outfits.

Kotli, PoK: A hub for training and launching operations.

Leepa Valley, PoK: Hosted military infrastructure supporting terrorist activities.

These sites were selected based on intelligence reports indicating their involvement in recent and planned terrorist activities against India.

🛡️ Execution and Tactics

Operation Sindoor was characterized by:

Precision Strikes: Utilizing advanced weaponry to minimize collateral damage.

Rapid Execution: The entire operation was completed in approximately 25 minutes.

Advanced Technology: Deployment of M-777 Ultra-Light Howitzers and loitering munitions for targeted attacks.

The Indian forces demonstrated exceptional coordination and efficiency, ensuring the operation's success without crossing the international border.

🛰️ Satellite Imagery and Evidence

Post-operation satellite images released by Indian authorities showcased the extensive damage inflicted on the targeted terror camps. These images provided visual confirmation of the operation's success, with clear before-and-after comparisons highlighting the destruction of terrorist infrastructures .

👥 High-Profile Terrorists Eliminated

Among the terrorists neutralized during Operation Sindoor were:

Maulana Yusuf Azhar: A key figure in JeM and linked to the IC-814 hijacking.

Other senior operatives: Affiliated with LeT and JeM, responsible for orchestrating attacks against India.

The elimination of these individuals dealt a significant blow to the operational capabilities of these terror organizations.

🗣️ Reactions and Statements

Prime Minister Narendra Modi: Praised the operation, stating it compelled Pakistan to "go down on its knees" and highlighted the swift elimination of nine terror camps within 22 minutes .

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar: Expressed satisfaction with the operation's outcome, noting that terrorists themselves inadvertently provided proof of the strikes .

Union Home Minister Amit Shah: Highlighted that the operation marked the first time Indian forces destroyed terror camps 100 kilometers inside Pakistani territory, emphasizing Pakistan's failure to utilize its China-acquired air defense systems.

🌐 International Implications

Operation Sindoor underscored India's commitment to combating terrorism and its willingness to take decisive action to protect its citizens. The operation's success also highlighted the effectiveness of India's intelligence and military capabilities in executing precise and swift retaliatory strikes.