AFTER accusing Pakistan of its involvement in the Pahalgam attacks – a false-flag operation orchestrated by India which killed 26 people in the Indian Occupied Kashmir – the Indian Government suspended the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan on April 23, 2025.
By weaponising this water flow which not only accounts for 80% of Pakistan’s irrigation water, but also its economy and food security which is heavily reliant on the Indus system – is an act of war and human rights violation by India.
The severity of water shortages would not only disrupt Pakistans overall agriculture, it would exacerbate food insecurity, displace potential millions and sets a dangerous precedent.
Due to lack of any evidence, India has not released any detailed public evidence linking Pakistan to the attack nor has it allowed an independent third party investigation into the attack.
Their move to weaponise water diplomacy wasn’t enough – on May 7, 2025, the Indian Armed Forces launched missile strikes, codenamed Operation Sindoor, targeting 9 sites within Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir as retaliation for the Pahalgam attacks.
The Indian government framed these strikes as necessary to eliminate ‘terrorist hideouts’ – instead they destroyed mosques and targeted residential zones filled with innocent civilians.
4 missiles fell in Bahawalpur, killing 5 people with the youngest being a 3 year old girl and injuring 31 people; 7 missiles targeted a mosque in Muzaffarabad, injuring 1 girl; 5 missiles fell in Kotli killing 2 people and injuring 2 people; 4 missiles targeted Muridke, killing 1 person, injuring 1 person with 2 people missing in the rubble; 2 missiles had a misfire in Kotki, Sialkot where no casualty nor damage was reported; 2 missiles fell in Shakargarh, the target being a dispensary though no casualties were reported.
Pertinent to mention that Pakistan was able to successfully shoot down 5 Indian jets, 3 of which were the latest Rafale jets delivered to them by France costing $242 Million per unit, as well as shooting down Indian drones.
Civilian targeting and the denial of any proof of militant activity at the struck sites shows that India is copying the Israeli playbook – their media maintains the narrative that ‘terrorist camps’ have been destroyed, the aftermath however shows no military infrastructure was ever present, with only innocent civilians as victims.
On May 8, 2025 the Indian Army, in an unprecedented move, targeted 15 major cities in Pakistan.
The Israeli-made Indian deployed drones had managed to creep into the airspace in Pakistan – 3 drones were shot down in Rawalpindi, more than 3 drones were shot down in Lahore, 1 drone was intercepted near the Sindh-Punjab border in Gotki which caused 1 death and 2 injured, 1 drone shot down in Shahkot, 1 drone destroyed near Umarkot and 1 drone intercepted in Karachi.
By targeting Pakistan’s air defence system and breaching Pakistan’s airspace, India is escalating the conflict beyond the ‘terrorist infrastructure’ narrative they claim – they are provoking an all-out war.
While Pakistan is on high alert and has committed to responding to India at the time & place of own choosing – there is fog of war but de-escalation seems unlikely, as do nuclear strikes.
What is more pressing is how provocative India has been in their offensive – what is more shocking is just how openly and close they have been able to access Pakistan’s airspace.
—The writer is Lawyer, Businessman. (shahnoor101@hotmail.com)
