Air Marshal AK Bharti, Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, Vice Admiral AN Pramod and Major General SS Sharda attend a press briefing at the National Media Centre in New Delhi, India, May 11, 2025. / REUTERS/Priyanshu Singh

Jihadi Muslim Attack on Humanity: For decades, India endured the bloodshed inflicted by Pakistan's terror proxies - from the audacious 2001 Parliament attack that nearly triggered war, to the horrific 2008 Mumbai siege where LeT gunmen slaughtered 166 innocents, including six Americans, in a three-day rampage.

The 2016 Uri garrison attack that claimed 19 soldiers' lives and the 2019 Pulwama bombing that obliterated a CRPF convoy, killing 40 jawans, followed the same pattern: Pakistan-trained terrorists struck, then retreated across the border to safety. Even international pleas went unheeded - Hafiz Saeed, the LeT mastermind with a $10 million U.S. bounty, still roams free, eulogizing Osama bin Laden while plotting fresh carnage.

On April 22, 2025, Pakistan-origin or trained, five terrorism brutally attacked fun loving honeymooning or vacationing tourists in Pahalgam, Kashmir, killing 26. These were not random victims—they were deliberately targeted for being non-Muslim. Survivors reported that the attackers, with chilling precision, forced victims to recite Islamic prayers or pulled down their pants to identify circumcised Muslims—executing those who failed their tests, often in front of their families.

The attackers used advanced weapons, coordinated communications, and swift jungle escape routes to vanish toward Pakistan-occupied territory. The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility. This group is known to share ideological and operational ties with Hamas and Al-Qaeda.

The attack occurred while U.S. Vice President JD Vance was visiting India, making its timing a deliberate insult and warning—not only to India but to the United States and the global democratic order.  This ideology is the same that drove the 9/11 attacks and the October 7 Hamas massacre in Israel. This is an attack on humanity that the world cannot afford silence. 

Post this attack, TRF has openly claimed responsibility, while Pakistani authorities attempted to erase the group’s name from UN records. However, Pakistani authorities moved to erase TRF's designation from UN records, even as Pakistan’s own foreign minister publicly justified such acts as “dirty work done for the West.”

This amounts to not just complicity, but tacit admission of state-sponsored terrorism. Pakistan continues to harbor U.S.-designated terrorist organizations, fostering global jihadist networks while receiving international aid. The Pahalgam massacre is not just an attack on India—it’s an attack on humanity, echoing the same jihadi ideology behind 9/11 and the October 7 Hamas terror attacks on Israel.

Killing two birds with one stone

As per the Modi doctrine to identify, track and punish terrorists, India first launched a strategic diplomatic awareness mission informing important world leaders and then, on the pre-dawn of 7th May, launched Operation Sindoor, shattering the cycle of impunity. In this operation, the Indian Air Force successfully used French-origin SCALP cruise missiles launched from Rafale jets to strike nine terrorist targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.

India also launched Israel-Indian-made "suicide drones" (Harop MK2) which are  robotic hawks capable of hovering for hours before picking out their targets and diving straight at targets. India reported that over 100 terrorists, including high-value targets such as Yusuf Azhar, Abdul Malik Rauf and Mudasir Ahmed, who were involved in the hijacking of IC 814 and the Pulwama blast, were eliminated during Operation Sindoor on May 7.

It's important to observe that the missiles damaged the targets, showcasing India's superiority in stand-off precision warfare. In an hour long air dog fight, largest in recent times, 150 Indian and Pakistani planes participated with Chinese-made J-10CE and JF-17 from Pakistan and Rafael-, Mig-29 and Su-25 from India, without cross borders. It's important to note that Indian fighters launched air-to-surface missiles from this dog fight, accurately striking targets, while engaging and defending from Pakistan quantitatively more planes.

While both sides claimed shooting down 5 enemy jets, none were confirmed. All Indian pilots returned safely, while US/French intel suggests Pakistan may have lost two aircraft versus India's one. The SCALP's stealth features and low-altitude flight path evaded Pakistan's Chinese-supplied air defence systems (HQ-9, LY-80), exposing their weaknesses. The strike not only dealt a heavy blow to terror infrastructure but also undermined the credibility of Chinese air defences, effectively "killing two birds with one stone”.

India’s Record-Breaking Air Defense: A Masterclass in Deterrence

In a stark contrast to India’s surgical, precision strikes targeting only terrorist infrastructure while avoiding civilian and military assets—a clear de-escalatory measure—Pakistan instead chose escalation, unleashing a massive drone attack that exposed its continued patronage of cross-border terror.

On 8th, Pakistan launched 400-600 Turkish-made Asisguard Songar  drones against 26 Indian cities and strategic locations, attempting to inflict maximum damage. However, India's multi-layered air defense network—featuring the S-400 ‘Sudarshan Chakra’, indigenous Akash-NG, and possibly Israeli systems—achieved a historic 100% interception rate, surpassing even Israel's 98% Iron Dome success during the 2021 Gaza conflict and Russia's 80% interception rate in Ukraine.

Advanced AI-driven radar tracking and electronic warfare countermeasures ensured not a single drone breached Indian airspace, with zero collateral damage. This resounding defense not only neutralized Pakistan's aggressive provocation but also set a new global benchmark in aerial warfare defense, while exposing Islamabad's reliance on imported drone technology to sustain its proxy terror campaigns.

India’s Long-Awaited Reckoning: Operation Sindoor Strikes the Heart of Terror

In an unprecedented escalation of its counterterrorism posture, India launched Operation Sindoor—a bold, precisely executed military operation targeting the core of Pakistan’s terror infrastructure. Unlike earlier retaliatory strikes such as the 2016 Uri surgical strike and the 2019 Balakot airstrike, which were limited to forward terror launchpads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, but deep inside Pakistan.

Operation Sindoor marked a strategic shift. It dismantled key command centers, training camps, and weapons depots deep within Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), where some of the most devastating terrorist attacks on Indian soil—including Mumbai 26/11, Pulwama, and Pahalgam—were conceived and launched.

Targets included the JeM headquarters in Bahawalpur, where the Pulwama attack was planned and where Masood Azhar’s residence was struck, reportedly killing key family members. Camps in Sarjal and Kotli that trained suicide bombers and stored IEDs were also neutralized. India also hit LeT’s global nerve center in Muridke, the birthplace of the 26/11 attacks, and jungle warfare camps in Barnala tied to the Pahalgam massacre. Hizbul Mujahideen launchpads and command centers used in earlier attacks like Pathankot were dismantled. A joint facility in Muzaffarabad serving JeM, LeT, and HM operatives was also destroyed.

This operation shattered the long-standing illusion of Pakistan’s immunity in harboring jihadist groups under state protection. It signals a new era in India’s fight against terrorism—one where sanctuaries across borders will no longer shield those who orchestrate mass murder. Operation Sindoor is not just a military success—it is a moral and geopolitical turning point, most importantly it sets a new level of counter terrorism warning Pakistan’s jihadi civil and military leadership, Pakistan based terrorists and their organizations, that they cannot hide anywhere after making a terror attack against India. 

Ceasefire Achieved, Pending Concrete Terms on Pakistan 

While India inflicted unprecedented damage and left Pakistan in a largely defenseless state, the terms of the ceasefire remain unclear and largely speculative. Many analysts expected that any truce would come with concrete, enforceable conditions—measures that would deter future provocations and justify India’s acceptance of a ceasefire from a clear position of strength. Without such tangible outcomes, questions linger about whether this pause will serve as a turning point or merely a temporary breather for Pakistan’s terror machinery.

As Pakistan’s terror infrastructure lay shattered and its economy crumbled under the weight of global isolation and IMF dependency, the cost of its jihad-fueled aggression became unsustainable. Fueled by Jihadi religious fanaticism and anti-India mission fuelled by China and Turkey, Pakistan’s military elite pushed the nation toward a reckless, ideologically driven conflict with India. This instability—of a nuclear-armed state—seems to have alarmed the global community in general and the US in particular. 

The US India Relations: Over the past decade, the U.S.-India partnership has emerged as one of the most consequential of the 21st century, central to Indo-Pacific security and global democratic stability. In response to the Pahalgam terror attack, President Trump, the Vice President, Secretary of State, DNI, National Security Advisor, FBI Director, and nearly 100 House Representatives swiftly condemned the brutality and expressed strong support for India’s counterterrorism efforts.

From the outset, the U.S. response was little short of expectations, especially given its strong commitment against terrorism demonstrated in the Hamas-Israel conflict and its ties with a key strategic partner. The U.S. initially took a “not our fight” position, which was correct, but, within a few days, advocated for a ceasefire without laying out concrete terms for Pakistan. It is understandable that President Trump is committed to peace making and the administration might have quickly reassessed the risk—possibly due to concerns about intelligence and growing fears of Chinese opportunism amid Pakistan’s potential collapse—and pivoted to press for an urgent ceasefire.

However, considering Pakistan’s role in hiding Osama Bin Laden, harboring U.S.-banned terrorist organizations, and sponsoring decades of terrorism against India, I hope the U.S. would demand that Pakistan dismantle its terror networks, hand over terrorists to either India or the U.S., and establish a guaranteed framework to prevent any future direct or indirect support for terrorism.  

Ceasefire Achieved, Pending Concrete Terms on Pakistan 

As I already mentioned, Pakistan’s air defense had been severely degraded, its cities exposed, and its economic condition dire. Facing mounting internal resistance and fearing complete strategic exhaustion, the Pakistani military initiated contact with India’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO).

After 10–12 hours of high-level bilateral and direct India-Pakistan deliberations, India-Pakistan abruptly agreed to the ceasefire—even though India was at a position of advantage. With a clear-eyed recognition from India that its operational objectives had been achieved. India had delivered a decisive message: terrorism will not go unanswered.

For the most part, this abrupt ceasefire was unclear to understand, especially given the inadequate explanation at the time of its announcement. Some analysts in India had hoped it would continue for a few more days to negotiate a more tangible or future-binding outcome regarding Pakistan — including the liberation of PoK, which, in my view, can only be achieved through uprisings by the residents of Gilgit-Baltistan, who continue to endure substandard treatment and exploitation at the hands of Pakistan. 

New Delhi seems to have judged that further escalation, especially after the goal of avenge is already achieved, would lead India into a trap of war of attrition with a strategic advantage to China, undermining both Indian and U.S. interests. However, as a word of caution from the history of Pakistan, this ceasefire must now be treated as a temporary pause—not a resolution.

The U.S. and India must remain cautious, given Pakistan’s long history of duplicity, including harboring Osama bin Laden while feigning alliance with the U.S. The burden of trust lies with Pakistan—and history suggests it should be watched, not believed.

In this one week, by striking damage to LeT, JeM, and HM, India has not only decisively avenged the Pahalgam attack, but also the 2001 Parliament attack, 2008 Mumbai attacks, 2016 Uri attack, and 2019 Pulwama attack and served much waited justice to India, the US and Daniel Pearl. This operation sets a new benchmark, ‘new normal’, for India’s future counterterror responses and sends a clear global message: terrorism will be met with unflinching resolve. 

Earlier today, India’s PM Modi said that this time is not for war but it also not for terrorism. PM Modi warned that terrorism cannot take shelter from the nuclear threat. He further declared India’s position as India’s talks with Pakistan can only be about terrorism and Pak Occupied Kashmir.

In summary, India’s counter terror Operation Sindoor delivers a clear warning to Pakistan’s jihadi civil-military leadership and terror groups: no one involved in attacks against India can hide—anywhere. The era of impunity is over. The United States must firmly stand with India—not just to defeat terrorism, but to uphold global peace, safeguard regional stability in South Asia and the Indo-Pacific, and counter China’s growing authoritarian influence that threatens democratic values worldwide.

 

The author is president of the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS).

 

(The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of  New India Abroad.)