Under the cover of night on May 7, India recklessly escalated regional tensions by launching unpro-voked missile strikes across the Line of Control (LoC).
She targeted multiple locations within Paki-stan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
What In-dia framed as a “strategic operation Sindoor” was, in reality, a blatant act of aggression aimed at civil-ian populations in Muzaffarabad, Rawalakot, Baha-walpur, Muridke, Ali Pur Sharkia, and areas near Bagh.
These attacks, which resulted in the death of at least 26 civilians — many of them women and children — have drawn sharp condemnation as vio-lations of international law and basic human rights.
India has claimed the strikes were in response to the April 22 incident in Pahalgam, which she attrib-utes to a Pakistan-based group.
However, Pakistan has firmly denied involvement and criticized India for using the incident as a pretext for cross-border aggression.
No concrete evidence has been pre-sented by New Delhi to substantiate her claims.
Modi regime follows a troubling pattern where India employs unverified accusations to justify military actions — often during politically sensitive periods at home.
Pakistan’s response, while firm, was measured.
The Pakistan Air Force reportedly downed five Indian aircraft, including three Rafale jets, one MiG-29 and a Su-30.
The fall of the Rafale has punctured the aura surrounding India’s military modernization efforts.
Rafale is a fighter jet which is heavily promoted by Indian leadership as a game-changing asset during the drop scene of Pul-wama/Balakot incident in 2019.
The performance of the Indian Air Force (IAF) has come under scrutiny, with questions raised about preparedness and strate-gic coherence.
This perceived failure has even rip-pled into financial markets, with a reported dip in the stock value of Dassault Aviation, the French manufacturer of the Rafale.
Adding to India’s challenges, Pakistan’s ground forces reportedly conducted a precision strike on an Indian brigade headquarters along the LoC.
Reports of white flags at some Indian forward posts — whether symbolic of retreat or tactical repositioning — further reinforced the perception of operational setbacks on the Indian side.
India’s Godi media has focused on framing the strikes as defensive actions against terrorism.
Yet, the lack of independent verification, reliance on dramatized media coverage and the absence of credible evidence raise serious questions about the motivations behind this military venture.
More broadly, India’s repeated violations of bilateral agreements and disregard for long-standing treaties such as the Indus Waters Treaty paint a picture of a nation willing to gamble with regional peace for short-term political gains.
Pakistan, for her part, has reiterated desire for peace but has made it clear that her sovereignty will be protected at all costs.
The need of the hour is transparency.
Pakistan must now invite international observers and media to witness firsthand the de-struction caused by India’s actions — and expose the discrepancy between Indian claims and ground realities.
As tensions simmer between two nuclear pow-ers, the world must take note — and take a stand for truth, accountability and civilian protection.
—The writer is analumnus of QAU, freelance columnist, based in Islamabad.
