On April 22, 2025, five militants armed with M4 carbines and AK-47 rifles descended from the dense pine forests of Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. They opened fire on a group of unarmed tourists, killing 26 civilians and wounding over 20 others. Most of the victims were Hindu pilgrims, but there was also a Christian visitor and a local Muslim who was reportedly spared after identification checks by the assailants.

Initially, the Resistance Front—an offshoot of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba—claimed responsibility for the attack but later retracted its statement. This unexpected withdrawal has raised suspicions of proxy engagement by Pakistani intelligence and highlighted failures on both sides of the Line of Control. This massacre, the deadliest civilian strike in the Valley since the 2008 Mumbai siege, highlighted the fragile security situation between the two nuclear neighbors. It exposed significant gaps in real-time threat detection, cross-border surveillance, and civilian protection protocols, paving the way for a new and dangerous phase in the 2025 India–Pakistan standoff.

In retaliation, the Government of India launched “Operation Sindoor” on May 6, 2025. The operation involved the deployment of high-BrahMos precision missiles, Rudram 1-1 surface-to-surface missiles, and MQ-Reaper 9 and Hermes 900 drones to strike nine locations across western Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, identified as training camps for Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed militants. Indian defense briefings emphasized that all targets were non-military and selected carefully to avoid damaging civilian infrastructure. Pakistan’s military spokesman, however, reported at least 19 civilian deaths—including women and children—injuries surpassing 46 and........

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