On 23 April 2025, a standoff emerged between India and Pakistan, which was sparked by the 2025 Pahalgam attack, a terrorist attack in the Baisaran Valley of Jammu and Kashmir, killing 27 people, including 25 Hindu tourists, a Christian tourist, and a local Muslim, as well as injuring more than 20 others. The Resistance Front (TRF) initially claimed responsibility for the attack.
Armed skirmishes between India and Pakistan were reported along the Line of Control (LoC) beginning on 24 April, raising fears of further escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
The standoffs were followed by a diplomatic crisis which emerged between the two countries, as India accused Pakistan of sponsoring the attack. India initiated the expulsion of Pakistani diplomats, recalled its own diplomatic staff, suspended visa services, closed its borders, and announced its withdrawal from the Indus Waters Treaty, while Pakistan denied the allegations and responded with trade restrictions, closure of airspace and border crossings, and suspension of the Simla Agreement. India’s Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) also strongly urged Indian citizens to avoid travelling to Pakistan, and called on those currently in the country to return at the earliest opportunity.
Between 24 April and 6 May, Pakistan and India engaged in heavy skirmishes including cross-border firing and artillery shelling.
On 7 May 2025, India launched missile strikes on Pakistan, codenamed Operation Sindoor. According to India, the missile strikes targeted the militant groups Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba. According to Pakistan, the Indian strikes targeted civilian areas, including mosques, killing 31 Pakistani civilians. In retaliation to the strikes, Pakistan said they had downed a number of Indian jets and damaged Indian infrastructure.
On 8 May, India said that Pakistani army attempted a drone and missile strike across several Indian cities including Amritsar which were intercepted by the S-400 missile system. According to Indian authorities, the strike was negated. This claim was rejected by Pakistani governmental authorities and the Sikhs for Justice, both of whom stated that the Indian Army mistakenly struck itself in Amritsar and blamed it on Pakistan to fuel anti-Pakistan sentiment among Sikhs. The Indian Ministry of Defense said that it carried out SEAD/DEAD operations in response and claimed to have neutralized the air defense systems in Lahore.
There were a number of misinformation campaigns across both the countries’ media outlets following the strike.
Background
An Islamist armed insurgency broke out in Jammu and Kashmir in the late 1980s, which resulted in the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from the region and the insurgency has been ongoing since.
On 22 April 2025, a terrorist attack at Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam in the Anantnag district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir killed at least 26 tourists and injured more than 20 others. According to eyewitness testimonies provided to Indian media outlets, assailants reportedly questioned potential victims about their religious identity before opening fire, specifically targeting non-Muslims.
The attack became among the deadliest attacks against Indian civilians in the region since 2000. The Resistance Front (TRF), believed to be an offshoot of the Pakistan-based, UN-designated terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, initially claimed responsibility. They stated that the attack was in opposition to Indian government policy allowing Indian citizens to live and work in Kashmir, that resulted in non-local settlement in the region. Four days later, they retracted their claim.
Diplomatic crisis
On the night of 23 April 2025, the Indian foreign secretary Vikram Misri held a special press briefing after a meeting with the CCS. He announced India’s decision to temporarily suspend the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan with immediate effect until Pakistan ceases its support for cross-border terrorism. He further announced the closure of the integrated check post at Attari-Wagah Border, a travel ban for all Pakistani nationals to India under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme, and cancellation of all previously issued visas. Additionally, Pakistani military advisers at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi were expelled, while their Indian counterparts in Islamabad were withdrawn, and the staff strength of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad was reduced from 55 to a minimum of 30. The posts of such military advisors were deemed abolished.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry expressed condolences to the families of the victims, and its defense minister Khawaja Asif dismissed the allegations of his country’s involvement in the attack and regarded such events as revolutions. However, in an interview with Sky News, while responding to allegations of terrorism, Asif said that Pakistan had backed terrorist activities at the direction of United States, Britain and the West going back three decades.
Pakistan responded to the suspension of the treaty by describing it as inappropriate and lacking seriousness. Pakistan also warned India of a comprehensive retaliation in response to the actions announced by the Indian government in the aftermath of the incident, further stating that any action affecting water resources would be considered an act of war. On 24 April, Pakistan suspended visas issued to Indian nationals and closed its airspace to Indian aircraft, expelled Indian diplomats and instructed Indian military advisers to depart the country no later than the 30 April.
Pakistan also cut off all trade with India. Pakistan also suspended the Simla Agreement, on 24 April 2025 in retaliation. The Attari-Wagah border ceremony was also reduced and the symbolic handshake did not take place. Cross-border families were affected where their visas revoked.
Initial standoff
A joint cordon and search operation was initiated by the Indian Army, paramilitary forces, and Jammu and Kashmir Police. A temporary lockdown was imposed in Pahalgam, and Indian Army helicopters were deployed to track down the militants, who reportedly fled to the upper reaches of the Pir Panjal range.
On 25 April, soldiers demolished the family residences of two individuals suspected of involvement in the Pahalgam attack. An Indian soldier was killed and two other soldiers wounded during a gunfight with insurgents in the Basantgarh region of Udhampur. Senior Lashkar-e-Taiba Commander Altaf Lalli was also killed in the gunfight.
Both Pakistani and Indian air forces conducted intensive flights near the LoC. An Indian Border Security Force soldier belonging to the 182nd battalion of the BSF was captured by Pakistan Rangers after he accidentally entered the Pakistani side of the Ferozepur border.
Also on 24 April, the Indian XV Corps reported that it had thwarted an infiltration attempt by insurgents near Uri and killed 2 insurgents.
Between 24 April and 5 May, Indian and Pakistani army engaged in skirmishes and exchanged small arms firing. Reportedly, Pakistan’s army initiated small arms firing across various sectors along the LoC, which was described as “unprovoked” by Indian media. The Pakistani army stated it shot down two Indian military quadcopter drones along the LoC in the Satwal sector and in the Manawar sector of Bhimber district.
On 28 April, Pakistani Defense Minister Asif stated that an attack from the Indian armed forces was “imminent”. On 30 April, Pakistan claimed it has “credible intelligence” that India is going to launch military action within several hours. On the night of 29 April, Pakistani forces opened fire on the international border along Kashmir. On 1 May, Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said that no terrorist involved in the attack would be spared by India.
On 3 May, a soldier from the Pakistan Rangers was captured by BSF after crossing the border to India.
On 5 May, the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs announced an “effective civil defense in the event of a hostile attack” on 7 May across 7 states. Such drills were last conducted by India during 1971. As per reports, the drill includes operationalisation of Air Raid Warning Sirens, crash blackout measures, training of civilians on civil defense and evacuation plans.
Release of river water
Following the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 on 23 April 2025, local media in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, reported on 26 and 27 April that India had released water from the Uri Dam into the Jhelum River unannounced, resulting in flooding. Additional reports indicated a sharp decline in water levels of the Chenab River in Sialkot, Pakistan, with satellite imagery showing significant drying of the riverbed. On 4 May 2025, India had closed the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River and was planning a similar move at the Kishanganga Dam on the Neelum River.
Operation Sindoor
7 May
On the night of 6/7 May, launched “Operation Sindoor” hitting “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan. The operation lasted 23 minutes and consisted of missile strikes carried out using combat jets. The Rafale fighter jet equipped with the SCALP cruise missile was used.
The targets include Bahawalpur, Muridke, Gulpur, Bhimber, Chak Amru, Bagh, Kotli, Sialkot and Muzaffarabad. Reportedly, the Bahawalpur strike killed close aides and family members of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar. Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on 8 May that at least 100 militants had been killed in the missile strikes.
According to reports and witnesses, at least two aircraft were said to have gone down – one in India and another in Indian-administered Kashmir but analyzing witness photos from one wreckage site in the India-administered Kashmir, independent weapons researchers identified the debris as an external fuel tank for likely a Rafale or Mirage fighter jet. Pakistani sources later reported shooting down five Indian fighter jets over Indian airspace. The Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called the attacks “cowardly” and vowed response.
Afterwards, the Pakistan Army began heavy mortar firing targeting the town of Poonch, killing 15 civilians. Among the dead were Mohd Zain Khan, aged 10, and Zoya Khan aged 12. The shelling mainly targeted civilian infrastructure, including homes, vehicles, and public infrastructure.
8 May
On the following night, Pakistani authorities said that several Indian drones intruded in Pakistani airspace, and 12 Indian drones were shot down. As per Pakistan, these drones were sent into nine different locations including the cities of Karachi and Lahore, and one of the drones struck a Pakistani military facility near Lahore.
Later, Pakistani army attempted a drone and missile strike across several Indian cities, including Amritsar which were intercepted by the S-400 missile system.
According to Indian authorities, the strike was negated. In response, Indian army carried out SEAD/DEAD operations and claimed to have neutralized the air defense systems in Lahore. Additionally, Indian Armed Forces were reportedly “compelled to respond to bring Mortar and Artillery fire from Pakistan to a halt”.
This was the first combat use of the Indian S-400 missile system or Sudarshan.
Which countries back India? Which nations stand with Pak?
UNITED STATES
US President Donald Trump said that India and Pakistan had “gone tit-for-tat” and hoped that the two nuclear-armed Asian neighbours would avoid any further escalation. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also discussed ways to ease tensions between India and Pakistan during a call with his Saudi Arabian counterpart on Wednesday, May 7.
ISRAEL
Israel extended strong support for India just hours after the precision strike in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Israel’s Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, posted on X, saying that Israel backs India’s right to defend itself. “Terrorists should know there’s no place to hide from their heinous crimes against the innocent,” he added.
UNITED KINGDOM
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK is speaking to both India and Pakistan to encourage dialogue and help reduce tensions. “Rising tensions between India and Pakistan will be of serious concern for many across Britain,” Starmer told Parliament.
TURKEY
Turkey has shown strong support for Pakistan. The Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan met with Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to express his country’s backing following what he called “India’s unprovoked violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty”.
CHINA
China has called on both India and Pakistan to show restraint and avoid any moves that could make the situation worse. Responding to India’s strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), a spokesperson from China’s Foreign Ministry said: “China finds India’s military operation early this morning regrettable. We are concerned about the ongoing situation. India and Pakistan are and will always be each other’s neighbours. They’re both China’s neighbours as well.”

RUSSIA
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has urged both India and Pakistan to stay calm and avoid any steps that might make tensions worse. She said, “Russia resolutely condemns acts of terrorism as it opposes any manifestations of it and accentuates the need to join forces globally for an effective fight against this evil.”
UAE
UAE Deputy Prime Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan has called on India and Pakistan “to exercise restraint, de-escalate tensions, and avoid further escalation that could threaten regional and international peace.”