Watch the Video; Operation Sindoor: India strikes Pakistan at midnight after Pahalgam Attack

On May 7, 2025, India launched Operation Sindoor, a series of precision military strikes targeting nine terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoK). The operation was a direct response to the April 22, 2025, terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, where 26 civilians, including 25 Indians and one Nepali, were killed by terrorists, with India attributing the attack to Pakistan-based groups. The strikes, conducted by the Indian Armed Forces around 1:44 AM, aimed at terrorist infrastructure, including sites linked to groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba, while avoiding Pakistani military facilities to prevent escalation.

India described the operation as “focused, measured, and non-escalatory,” emphasizing restraint in target selection. The Indian government stated the strikes avenged the Pahalgam attack, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi closely monitoring the operation. The name “Sindoor,” referring to the red vermilion worn by married Hindu women, symbolically nodded to the 26 husbands killed in the attack. Indian sources reported the destruction of all targeted sites, with claims of 12 terrorists killed and 55 injured going 100 kms in pakistan though these figures are unverified.

Pakistan condemned the strikes as a “blatant act of war,” reporting at least eight deaths, including civilians, and vowed retaliation. Pakistani officials claimed to have shot down Indian jets and captured soldiers, though India’s Air Force denied losses, stating all pilots were accounted for. Heavy cross-border firing along the Line of Control followed, with three civilian deaths reported in Pakistan’s shelling. The strikes disrupted power in Muzaffarabad, PoK’s capital, and prompted Pakistan to declare an emergency in Lahore.

The operation escalated tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors, already strained since the Pahalgam attack. India had earlier suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, closed the Attari border, and expelled Pakistani diplomats. The UN expressed concern, urging restraint, while the U.S. was briefed by India’s National Security Advisor. Indian leaders, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, hailed the operation, with social media posts from the Indian Army declaring “Justice is served.” A detailed briefing on the operation was scheduled for later on May 7.