Opinion: Operation Sindoor Sent The Message It Wanted To, It's Time For De-Escalation

By : Nayanima Basu | Updated at : 08 May 2025 11:08 PM (IST)

A man walks in front of a damaged residential house after heavy firing and shelling from Pakistan, at Salamabad near LoC in Uri, on May 7, 2025.
Source : PTI

India's military initiative against Pakistan, Operation Sindoor, is continuing in full swing. A day after Indian forces successfully targeted and destroyed nine key terrorist infrastructure sites located within Pakistan's Punjab province and the Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK), tensions have escalated significantly. As I write, Jammu city is under attack from Pakistan, pushing India to activate its entire S400 air defence system. Sirens are going out and blackouts being imposed in other places too, and the Indian Air Force has been fully active across the entire International Border.

Earlier, in the aftermath of the airstrikes, a war of words erupted between the two nations, with both sides accusing one another of notable losses and claiming to have dealt significant blows to the other’s military capabilities.

This exchange of allegations intensified the situation, hinting at a further escalation in hostilities between the two warring neighbours. The air of uncertainty and volatility surrounding the region suggests that the implications of this conflict could have far-reaching consequences as both India and Pakistan brace themselves for potential further action.

On Day Two of Operation Sindoor, in less than 36 hours since the airstrikes were carried out by the Indian Air Force, India was able to neutralise the air defence system installed in some of the key Pakistani cities, including Lahore, and blamed Pakistan for the escalation. At a press statement issued Thursday Islamabad said Pakistan “increased the intensity” of its unprovoked firing across the Line of Control (LoC) using mortars and heavy calibre artillery in areas in Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, Poonch, Mendhar and Rajouri sectors in Jammu and Kashmir.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said in an all-party meeting that Indian armed forces have killed more than 100 terrorists. Addressing the media later in the day, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said Pakistan had even aimed to attack Indian military installations located near the LoC but India was able to foil those attempts.

Meanwhile, in a major statement to the international media, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said National Security Advisors Ajit Doval of India and Lt Gen Asim Malik of Pakistan are in direct contact with each other despite the ongoing crisis. On the other hand, the Ministry of Defence said Pakistan launched an offensive on the night of May 7-8, targeting 15 military locations across northern and western India, including Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, and Bhuj. These attacks were effectively foiled by India’s Integrated Counter-UAS Grid and air defence systems.

Additionally, India Thursday said it has used weapons such as S-400 'Sudarshan Chakra' air defence system, HAROP kamikaze drones and other missiles to give a befitting reply to Pakistan in what is now being touted as ‘Operation Sindoor 2’ or the second phase of Operation Sindoor.

OPINION | Pakistan’s Dangerous Game: Terrorism As Statecraft

What Next?

Just two weeks after the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians in a ruthless act of violence, India initiated a military operation, acutely aware that this would provoke a powerful response from Pakistan, which has categorically denied any involvement in the Pahalgam attack. True to expectations, Pakistan did retaliate, after vowing to avenging Operation Sindoor, which led to further loss of life on the Indian side. Reports from the Indian government indicate that 16 civilians, including three women and five children, have tragically fallen victim to the shelling from across the border.

The already tense situation between the two nations escalated further Thursday night as blasts-like sounds were heard in Jammu city, causing panic, and security forces detected Pakistani drones near the airport that also houses an Indian Air Force station. While counter-measures were initiated, according to officials, and the Indian anti-drone system was able to down a few drones, the air is still thick with uncertainty as both sides brace for what may come next in this dangerous game of retaliation and counter-retaliation.

Earlier in the day, India decided to take some further non-military actions such as approaching the United Nations 1267 Committee once again to proscribe Pakistan-based terror outfit The Resistance Front (TRF), considered to be an offshoot of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). India believes this time it will not allow Pakistan to go scot-free and play the victimhood game of terrorism as the Pahalgam attack is considered to be the biggest such attack since the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks that claimed 175 lives.

After the April 22 attack, India undertook a series of strategic measures to sever not only diplomatic ties but also the connections between ordinary citizens of both nations. One significant action has been the unprecedented suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, a crucial agreement that has governed water-sharing between the two countries since its inception in 1960.

While India can most certainly take such steps that will cripple Pakistan’s ability to fund and aid terrorists and their ever widening tentacles, this is the time for New Delhi to lay down a long-term plan to eliminate the terror ecosystem existing in that country by cutting the hands that feed and nurture them, and not by inflicting pain on the common man leading to more civilian deaths.

Nayanima Basu is a senior independent journalist.

[Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs, and views expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this website are personal and do not reflect the opinions, beliefs, and views of ABP News Network Pvt Ltd.]

Published at : 08 May 2025 10:48 PM (IST)
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