New Delhi: Pakistan summoned India’s top diplomat in Islamabad on Wednesday to deliver a formal demarche, strongly protesting India’s military operation, codenamed “Operation Sindoor.” The operation, launched in the early hours of May 7, involved precision missile strikes on nine terrorist infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), targeting bases linked to banned outfits such as Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Hizbul Mujahideen.
The government said the strikes were a direct response to the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 civilians, including 25 Indians and one Nepali national. Pakistan condemned the operation as an “unprovoked act of war.”
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry condemned the strikes, accusing India of violating its sovereignty and “established norms of inter-state relations.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for “maximum military restraint,” warning of the risks of a nuclear confrontation. U.S. President Donald Trump described the situation as “a shame,” hoping it “ends very quickly,” while National Security Advisor Ajit Doval briefed U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on India’s actions. China and Turkey called for restraint, while Indian-American lawmakers supported India’s right to self-defence.
Following the strikes, commercial flights were suspended in north India, with Srinagar, Jammu, Amritsar, Leh, Chandigarh, and Dharamshala airports impacted. Pakistan closed Lahore and Sialkot airports for 48 hours, and international airlines, including Korean Air, diverted flights to avoid Pakistani airspace. Schools in Punjab’s border districts of Ferozepur, Pathankot, and Amritsar were shut for up to 72 hours, and a state of emergency was declared in Pakistan’s Punjab province.
India conducted a nationwide civil defence mock drill across 244 districts, the first since 1971, to prepare for potential hostilities. A red alert was issued in Uttar Pradesh and the Indian Air Force planned a two-day military drill along the Pakistan border in Rajasthan.
