India frames “Operation Sindoor” as warning in escalating India-Pakistan tensions

In response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed the lives of at least 26 civilians, India launched Operation Sindoor in early May — a bold cross-border military offensive targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan -administered Kashmir.

The move has come to be viewed by many in India as a “warning signal” to Islamabad, signaling that future terrorist attacks will be met with military consequences.

The Pahalgam attack, carried out by terrorists, shook national sentiments. Indian authorities assert that assailants deliberately separated victims based on religion, with many Hindu men shot execution-style.

The group The Resistance Front (TRF) — seen by Indian intelligence as a proxy of Lashkar-e-Taiba — claimed responsibility, though subsequent developments have raised questions over the group’s connections and backing.

On May 7, India struck nine locations associated with TRF, LeT, and Jaish-e-Mohammed, using long-range, stand-off weapons launched from air platforms.

The government emphasized that military and civilian Pakistani installations were not the target, stating the mission was calibrated, focused, and non-escalatory.

In parliamentary statements, India’s foreign service and defence leadership framed the operation as an assertion of accountability, not aggression. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri noted that the responsibility for maintaining peace now lies with Pakistan.

The Press Information Bureau described Operation Sindoor as an exercise in strategic clarity aimed at destroying terror bases while applying restraint.

Though a ceasefire was declared on May 10, reports suggest that elements of Operation Sindoor remain active. Indian Air Force officials have claimed that Pakistan-based terror camps have adapted by shifting to more dispersed, smaller hideouts — an evolution of terror infrastructure in response to the operation.

The scope of the retaliation also stirred debate. Some statements from Indian military leadership allege that the IAF downed 12–13 Pakistani aircraft, including F-16 fighters, during Operation Sindoor. These claims, unverified by independent sources, have added to the fog of conflict.