Indian military strikes Pakistan, Pakistan-administered Kashmir
Islamabad, Pakistan – Parts of Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir were rocked by multiple missile attacks by India early on Wednesday morning, in which at least eight people, including a three-year-old child, died. Pakistan’s military said Indian missiles struck six cities, including four different places in Punjab province — marking the first time India has hit Pakistan’s most populous state since the 1971 war between the neighbors. The remaining two locations targeted were Muzaffarabad and Kotli, both in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. India claimed that its "Operation Sindoor" targeted nine sites with "terrorist infrastructure." Pakistan scrambled its jets in response and claimed it had brought down five Indian planes – an assertion to which India has not yet responded.
The Indian attack came 15 days after a deadly assault on tourists in the picturesque Pahalgam town in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22, for which India blamed armed groups allegedly backed by Pakistan. Islamabad denied any role in that attack. Now, the nuclear-armed neighbors stand on the precipice of a full-blown military conflict. Here is what we know about India’s attack, Pakistan’s response, and the background of this conflict so far.
Where did India hit Pakistan? Pakistani military spokesperson Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, in an early morning news conference, said Indian missiles targeted four locations in Punjab and two in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The attack took place at about 1 am on Wednesday (20:00 GMT, Tuesday). The biggest strike was in Ahmedpur Sharqia, near Bahawalpur city in Punjab, where a mosque compound was hit, resulting in five fatalities, including a three-year-old girl. Other attacks occurred in Muridke city, a village near Sialkot, and Shakar Garh, all in Punjab. Two locations in Pakistan-administered Kashmir – Muzaffarabad and Kotli – were also hit, with two mosques destroyed, according to Pakistani authorities. A 16-year-old girl and an 18-year-old boy were among those killed in the attacks. Chaudhry reported that at least eight Pakistanis were killed and 35 injured.
In response to the attacks, Punjab province declared a state of emergency, with hospitals and security forces on high alert, and schools closed on Wednesday.
How did Pakistan respond? Soon after the Indian strikes, Pakistan’s political and military leadership announced that the country had engaged its defenses and its fighter jets were “airborne.” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif posted on social media platform X, stating that a reply was "being given" to India. Overnight, several claims emerged from Pakistan, including the assertion that it shot down up to five Indian jets, including three Rafales, modern fighter planes procured by India from France. Besides Chaudhry, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also claimed on international news outlets that Pakistan had downed multiple Indian jets. However, Pakistan’s military noted that India had fired all of its missiles from Indian airspace, suggesting that if Pakistan shot down Indian planes, it did so while they were in Indian airspace. Indian authorities have yet to comment on these claims or confirm whether all Indian air force planes that participated in the strikes returned to their respective bases.
Why did India strike Pakistan? The latest round of conflict between the two nuclear-armed nations follows the attack in Baisaran valley in the Pahalgam region of Indian-administered Kashmir, where gunmen killed 26 people – 25 tourists and a local pony rider – after separating them from women. India has long accused Pakistan of supporting, arming, and training armed groups that it claims foment trouble in the valley. Pakistan insists it provides only moral and diplomatic support to Kashmir’s secessionist movement. Following the attack last month, India blamed an obscure group, The Resistance Front (TRF), claiming it was a Pakistan-backed group with a haven there. Pakistan, while condemning the attack, vehemently denied any involvement and demanded a “transparent, credible, impartial” investigation into the incident.
India, which also targeted Pakistan in 2019 and 2016 following attacks on its troops, has vowed to retaliate. Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that the country would pursue the Kashmir attackers to “the ends of the earth.” However, more than two weeks later, Indian soldiers are still combing the forests of Kashmir in search of the attackers, even as they have now struck targets across the border.
Why is Kashmir important to India and Pakistan? This is not the first time South Asia’s two largest countries, which have a combined population of more than 1.6 billion, have gone to war over the region. The picturesque valley of Kashmir is at the heart of their tensions. The two neighbors have fought three of their four previous wars over Kashmir, which spans 22,200 square kilometers (85,800 square miles). Both countries currently control parts of Kashmir – with China controlling some parts – but continue to claim it in full.
How have tensions escalated since the Pahalgam attack? Since April 22, tensions have escalated, culminating in already limited diplomatic relations taking a further hit. India has suspended its participation in the Indus Waters Treaty, under which it shares waters from six rivers with Pakistan. As the upper riparian state, India could, in theory, restrict Pakistan’s access to water to which it is entitled. India also revoked visas for Pakistani nationals. Pakistan threatened to suspend the Simla Agreement. Both countries expelled each other’s diplomats and nationals, closed their borders, and shuttered airspace. Within Indian-administered Kashmir, authorities have detained more than 2,000 residents, some under anti-terrorism laws, demolished homes of alleged fighters, and imposed strict security measures.
Why did India call it Operation Sindoor? The Indian military has dubbed its missile strikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir “Operation Sindoor.” The name is significant; Sindoor is the Hindi word for vermilion, a red pigment that married Hindu women often apply to their foreheads. The name of India’s military operation is an apparent reference to the manner in which the attackers shot their victims in Pahalgam on April 22. Multiple survivor accounts detailed how the gunmen segregated male tourists from women and pointedly identified those who were non-Muslim before shooting them dead, leaving their Hindu wives widowed. The sindoor is typically no longer worn after a woman’s husband passes away.
