India-Pakistan Tension Escalation Began On April 22 With Pahalgam Attack: Centre

Operation Sindoor: India responded to the Pakistani attack on Indian military installations across 15 cities by successfully destroying multiple air defence and radar systems in Pakistan.

Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, and Colonel Sophia Qureshi

Source : MEA

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Thursday reaffirmed that India's retaliatory moves against Pakistan's terror attacks were "measured, precise, and non-escalatory". The escalation of the tensions began on April 22 when the Pakistan-sponsored 'The Resistance Front' killed 26 people in India's Pahalgam.

Following the terror attack, India launched attacks targeted at terror installations in Pakistan and PoK under Operation Sindoor. This led to Pakistan launching (unsuccessful) attacks on military installations in India.  

India, in response, successfully destroyed several air defence systems and radar systems of Pakistan on Thursday. This attack followed Pakistan's unprovoked artillery fire and targeting of Indian cities. The Pakistani artillery attack resulted in the deaths of 16 civilians, including women and children.

This was announced at a press briefing by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Colonel Sophia Qureshi from the Indian Army, and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said, "When talks were going on about the Pahalgam at the UNSC, Pakistan opposed the role of TRF (The Resistance Front). This is after TRF claimed the responsibility of the attack not once, but twice... India's response is non-escalatory, precise, and measured. Our intention is not to escalate matters and we are only responding to the escalation. No military targets have been targeted; only terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan has been hit."

Colonel Sophia Qureshi said, "On the night of 07-08 May 2025, Pakistan attempted to engage a number of military targets in Northern and Western India including Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj, using drones and missiles. These were neutralised by the Integrated Counter UAS Grid and Air Defence systems. The debris of these attacks is now being recovered from a number of locations that prove the Pakistani attacks."

#WATCH | Delhi: Colonel Sofiya Qureshi says, "During the press briefing on operation Sindoor on 07 May 2025, India had called its response as focused, measured and non-escalatory. It was specifically mentioned that Pakistani military establishments had not been targeted. It was… pic.twitter.com/KIhL5Ao3DT

— ANI (@ANI) May 8, 2025

She further said: "This morning, the Indian Armed Forces targeted Air Defence Radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan. Indian response has been in the same domain with same intensity as Pakistan. It has been reliably learnt that an Air Defence system at Lahore has been neutralised..."

#WATCH | Delhi: Colonel Sofiya Qureshi says, "This morning, the Indian Armed Forces targeted Air Defence Radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan. Indian response has been in the same domain with same intensity as Pakistan. It has been reliably learnt that an Air… pic.twitter.com/chaTbH8nsg

— ANI (@ANI) May 8, 2025

Wing Commander Vyomika Singh said, "Pakistan has increased the intensity of its unprovoked firing across the Line of Control using Mortars and heavy-calibre Artillery in areas in Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, Poonch, Mendhar and Rajouri sectors in Jammu and Kashmir. 16 innocent lives have been lost, including three women and five children, due to Pakistani firing. India was compelled to respond to bring Mortar and Artillery fire from Pakistan to a halt. Indian Armed Forces reiterate their commitment to non-escalation, provided it is respected by the Pakistani military."

#WATCH | Delhi: Wing Commander Vyomika Singh says, "Pakistan has increased the intensity of its unprovoked firing across the Line of Control using Mortars and heavy calibre Artillery in areas in Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, Poonch, Mendhar and Rajouri sectors in Jammu and Kashmir. 16… pic.twitter.com/6ahtrYriiC

— ANI (@ANI) May 8, 2025

Tensions between India and Pakistan have reached a critical point following India's launch of Operation Sindoor, a series of precision strikes targeting terrorist infrastructure across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The operation, conducted in the early hours of Wednesday, was India's direct response to the deadly Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives last month, including 25 Indian citizens and one Nepali tourist.

Operation Sindoor: What Happened?

Indian officials reported that nine specific terror sites linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hizbul Mujahideen, and Jaish-e-Mohammed were struck in a tightly coordinated, 25-minute operation. The armed forces said that no Pakistani civilian, economic, or military targets were hit, as it was a "focused, measured and non-escalatory".

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that the operation is not over and is "ongoing".

Escalating Cross-Border Hostilities

In the immediate aftermath, Pakistan responded with heavy artillery and mortar shelling along the Line of Control (LoC), resulting in civilian as well as soldier deaths in the forward villages of Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistan also launched missile attacks, targeting 15 cities in Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. However, India successfully repelled the attack using S-400 missile defence system, also known as 'Sudarshan Chakra'.

Civilians On Edge: Airports Closed, Blackouts Reported

The ripple effects of Operation Sindoor have been felt far beyond the LoC. India closed 27 airports in the north to commercial flights and suspended multiple international routes until May 10. Blackout drills and civil defence exercises are being conducted across several states.