Overview

• Operation Sindoor, conducted May 7–10, saw India deploy BrahMos and Scalp cruise missiles along with drones to neutralize nine terror hubs and degrade roughly 20 percent of Pakistan’s air assets.
• Precision night strikes and calibrated air-defence measures ensured minimal civilian casualties and avoided interference with commercial flights in Pakistani airspace.
• Since the May 10 ceasefire, both sides have maintained high alert along their shared border as New Delhi leverages diplomatic channels to highlight Pakistan’s role in state-backed terrorism.
• The 2019 abrogation of Article 370 and the December 2023 integration of Jammu and Kashmir into India significantly undermined Islamabad’s Kashmir claim and shaped Pakistan’s asymmetric response.
• Defense analysts are urging an expansion of India’s air squadrons and the acceleration of integrated theatre commands to sustain deterrence and advance a self-reliant defence posture.