In the early hours of 7 May 2025, the Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor, a precision strike targeting terrorist infrastructure across Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. The mission, carried out with surgical efficiency, hit nine specific sites known to host and support militant operations. Not a single Pakistani military facility was targeted ~ a telling sign of India’s calibrated intent: to punish, not provoke; to signal resolve, not spark escalation. Yet, the message from New Delhi was unmistakably firm. Those who dare spill innocent blood on Indian soil will not be allowed impunity, sanctuary, or the illusion of invincibility.

This targeted response follows the heinous Pahalgam terrorist attack ~ an act of barbarity that claimed 26 lives, including that of a Nepali national. The attack, carried out in one of Kashmir’s most beloved and iconic tourist spots, was not just an assault on individuals. It was a strike against hope, normalcy, and the economic backbone of the Valley’s civilian life. The blood that stained the meadows of Baisaran stands as a chilling reminder that the terror infrastructure across the border is not just intact but emboldened. With Operation Sindoor, India has decisively res – ponded; not merely with outrage, but with action.

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For years, Pakistan has played a dangerous double game on the global stage. While making token gestures of peace in multilateral forums, its deep state machinery ~ particularly the ISI ~ continues to nurture and direct radical groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-eTaiba, and other affiliates. These groups do not operate in the shadows of the Pakistani state; they are sheltered in its very bosom. They receive training, logistical support, and political protection. This duplicity, couched in a veil of plausible deniability, has enabled Islamabad to wage an asymmetric war against India while avoiding full fledged conventional conflict. India’s strategic response to this has evolved.

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The days of strategic passivity ~ where provocations were met with diplomatic notes ~ are long gone. The 2016 Uri surgical strikes and the 2019 Balakot airstrikes marked a decisive shift: New Delhi would respond beyond its borders, targeting the sources of terror with precision. Yet deterrence, as the........

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