India Strikes Pakistan as it launches a series of targeted strikes on Pakistani territory, two weeks after a deadly terrorist assault in Indian-administered Kashmir claimed the lives of 26 civilians, most of them Hindu tourists. The strikes mark a significant escalation in the longstanding India-Pakistan conflict, particularly in the volatile Kashmir region, which both nations claim.
According to the Indian government, the strikes were aimed at nine locations linked to Pakistan-based militant groups, specifically Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad. The Pakistani military reported that five sites were hit, including rural areas near Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and religious seminaries in Punjab province. Eyewitnesses in Muzaffarabad described hearing aircraft overhead and seeing damage in remote areas previously associated with militant activity.
India characterized its actions as “focused, measured, and non-escalatory,” emphasizing that no Pakistani military facilities were targeted. In contrast, Pakistan condemned the strikes, warning that they “will not go unanswered” and accusing India of seeking short-term gratification at the expense of regional peace. At least eight people were reported dead and 35 wounded from the strikes, though full details remain unclear.
April 22 Kashmir Attack Sparks Outrage and Crackdown
The airstrikes were triggered by a brutal attack on April 22 in Baisaran Valley, near Pahalgam, where militants shot and killed 26 people—mostly Hindu tourists—and injured 17 others. Survivors reported that the assailants appeared to single out victims based on their religion. Indian officials linked the attack to the Resistance Front, a group they allege operates as a proxy for Lashkar-e-Taiba.
The attack has been described as one of the deadliest against Indian civilians in Kashmir in decades. In response, under the banner of ‘India Strikes Pakistan,’ Indian security forces launched a sweeping crackdown across the region, detaining thousands as part of an intensified counterterrorism campaign.
Pakistan, however, has denied any state involvement in the attack. Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif insisted that groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba are now defunct, pointing to increased scrutiny from international watchdogs such as the Financial Action Task Force and tighter Indian border security as major deterrents to cross-border infiltration.
Longstanding Kashmir Dispute Fuels Volatility
The Kashmir conflict, rooted in the 1947 partition of British India, remains unresolved after decades of war, insurgency, and failed peace talks. The region has been a flashpoint for three wars and numerous skirmishes between India and Pakistan. An armed insurgency erupted in Indian-administered Kashmir in the 1980s, with Pakistan later supporting militant groups seeking either independence or accession to Pakistan.
Tensions spiked again in 2019 when India revoked Kashmir’s special autonomous status and imposed direct rule from New Delhi. The move, part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nationalist agenda, was met with harsh crackdowns and widespread detentions. Though voting has resumed and violence has subsided somewhat, resentment persists among Kashmiris.
With both countries possessing nuclear weapons, analysts warn that even limited military confrontations carry the risk of uncontrollable escalation. Global powers including Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United States have urged restraint, while India’s growing diplomatic clout may be emboldening more assertive responses. Still, experts believe that in scenarios like India Strikes Pakistan, the country may continue to favor precision strikes that send a strong message without triggering full-scale conflict.
