India-Pakistan conflict: Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor
- Date
- 22 April - 10 May 2025
- Category
- Military & conflict
- Region
- South Asia (India / Pakistan)
- Era
- Contemporary
- Significance
After militants killed 26 tourists, mostly Hindu civilians, in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir on 22 April 2025, India blamed Pakistan-based groups and launched missile and air strikes inside Pakistan on 7 May under the codename Operation Sindoor.
The assault marked India's first strikes across the international border since the 1971 war and ignited four days of intense cross-border fighting involving aircraft, drones, and artillery, the most serious military clash between the nuclear-armed rivals in decades. Both sides claimed to have inflicted heavy losses, and the escalation raised acute fears of uncontrolled escalation before a United States-brokered ceasefire halted hostilities on 10 May. The crisis underscored the persistent volatility of the Kashmir dispute and the fragility of deterrence between the two states.
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Further reading
The wider story
India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy
Magisterial, readable history of the subcontinent since independence.
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