The weapons in the neighbourhood: Why Pakistan’s own civilians are paying the price

India's conduct during Operation SINDOOR is instructive. Despite knowing that military assets had been embedded within civilian areas across multiple locations, Indian forces reportedly held back from striking those positions. That restraint protected civilian lives — including the lives of Pakistani civilians whose own military had placed them at risk.

Nobody asked the residents of Shakargarh whether they wanted a rocket launcher parked on their street. Nobody told the family in Zafarwal that a missile system on their rooftop would legally transform their home into a military target. Nobody warned the people living near the girls’ school in Jandrot that a drone launch site in their vicinity would place their neighbourhood in the crosshairs.

The Pakistan Army simply arrived. And the weapons came with it.

Under the laws of armed conflict — laws recognised by virtually every nation on earth, binding through customary international law on all parties including Pakistan — any location actively used for military purposes becomes a legitimate military target. Not a potential target. Not a controversial one. A........

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