The National Intelligence Agency (NIA) is investigating the heinous act committed by Pakistani terrorists, singling out Hindus and executing them with headshots in the Baisaran Valley, close to Pahalgam on April 22, 2025.
It has emerged that American firm Maxar Technologies provided satellite images of Pahalgam and the surrounding area to Pakistan, two months before the terrorist attack. Terrorists used ‘Ultra Set’ (Chinese telecom equipment), which is Pakistan Army issue, for navigation and maintain contact with their handlers in Pakistan through China’s BeiDou satellite system.
Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor in the wee hours of May 7, 2025, on nine targets (terror infrastructure and terror launch pads) in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), as well as in Pakistan.
The targets struck included: Muzaffarabad, Kotli and Bagh in PoK, in addition to Muridke and Ahmedpura Sharqia in Bahawalpur, Punjab. Bahawalpur is the hometown of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar and a safe haven for LeT chief Hafiz Saeed.
The strikes included deployment of BrahMos missiles, precision-guided munitions like the French-origin SCALP cruise missiles and HAMMER bombs, both of which can be launched from Rafale fighter jets, plus loitering munitions like the Israeli-origin HAROP and Indian SkyStryker kamikaze drones.
The strikes reportedly resulted in the deaths of at least 10 family members of JeM chief Masood Azhar and four of his close aides, in addition to some 100 terrorists eliminated across various locations, as claimed by the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh while admitting that it is difficult to give accurate figures.
As expected, Pakistan chose to widen the conflict. On the night of May 7-8, Pakistan attempted to engage multiple military targets from Srinagar in the north, down to Bhuj on its land border with India using drones and missiles.
An investigation by the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) of the heinous act committed by Pakistani terrorists, has established that American firm Maxar Technologies provided satellite images of Pahalgam and the surrounding area to Pakistan, two months before the terrorist attack
On the night of May 8-9, Pakistan attempted to again target multiple areas including many civilian and military areas, and airfields.
All these drones and missiles were neutralised by India’s Integrated Counter UAS Grid and Air Defence systems, with the S-400 AD missile system playing a prominent role.
India hit back hard. Notable sites hit included Pakistan Air Force bases at Rafiqui (Shorkot, Jhang), Murid (Chakwal), Nur Khan (Chaklala, Rawalpindi), Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, and Chunian (Kasur), as well as military installations in Skardu, Bholari, Jacobabad, and Sargodha, which suffered extensive damage.
Missiles from Indian Navy’s aircraft carrier INS Vikrant pounded Karachi and Omara causing heavy damage.
Pakistan’s AD systems were hit very hard at multiple locations, including at Lahore and Sialkot. The Chinese-origin HQ-9B AD system deployed in Lahore was completely destroyed. In addition, three out of Pakistan’s six Lockheed Martin AN/TPS-77 3D long-range (450 km range) radars were also knocked out by the IAF, causing a serious dent in Pakistan’s air surveillance network.
Pakistan’s defence minister’s statement that “We didn’t intercept Indian drones to avoid exposing our locations”, became a butt of joke because Pakistan had lost that ability already.
The Indian strikes reportedly resulted in the deaths of at least 10 family members of JeM chief Masood Azhar and four of his close aides, in addition to some 100 terrorists eliminated across various locations, as claimed by the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh while admitting that it is difficult to give accurate figures
India reportedly shot down three Pakistani fighter jets and an AWACS aircraft. India recovered one PL-15 missile intact, which will enable it to perform reverse engineering for obvious benefits. This will also be of interest to the US.
Together with these operations, a very heavy exchange of fire, including heavy artillery and mortar fire, continued along the Line of Control in J&K with casualties on both sides. According to the media, civilian casualties on the India side were above 30 since orders for evacuating these areas were issued late.
On May 10, 2025, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif apparently spoke to the POTUS Donald Trump, who then telephoned Prime Minister Narendra Modi, following which Trump announced India and Pakistan had agreed to a ceasefire.
This came as a surprise, as earlier the US had said it would not interfere in India-Pakistan hostilities. Pakistan’s DGMO also spoke with his Indian counterpart.
However, Pakistani drones continued violating the ceasefire from Srinagar to Gujarat, along with heavy exchange of fire along the LoC-IB three hours after ceasefire came into effect.
The Corps HQ at Srinagar and Nagrota were targeted respectively. The terrorist attack at the Army’s check-post at Nagrota signaled Pakistan would not give up terrorism.
Notably, minutes after Pakistan began violating the ceasefire, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi reportedly told his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar during a telephonic conversation that Beijing stands by Islamabad in upholding “Pakistan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national independence.” Immediately after the conversation, this shows that come what may, the Chinese government will continue to support Pakistan, at all costs.
The IAF attack on Pakistan’s airbases included Kirna Hills, a hardened military storage site for both nuclear weapons and conventional ammunition, near Mushaf Airbase in Sargodha. Apparently, a BrahMos missile had struck nearer this storage site
Hostilities eventually ceased, but India agreeing to the ceasefire was viewed widely as a lost opportunity to punish Pakistan more severely.
The eventual long-term solution to the Pakistan problem anyway is the independence of Balochistan, Sind and creation of Pashtunistan. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) was happy with India punishing Pakistan severely. Both the BLA and the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had accelerated attacks on Pakistan’s security forces, during this period.
Our government’s stance was that it did not want to escalate further, the Pahalgam massacre was avenged and that any further terrorist attacks would receive a severe Indian response.
Even the terrorist attack on the Army’s traffic check-post in Nagrota, as part of Pakistan’s three-hour ceasefire violation, was reported as a minor incident.
With India submitting to the ceasefire, a former army chief asked what has India achieved? We didn’t even unleash missiles and drones on Pakistan while the Pakistani military blatantly violated the ceasefire for a full three hours.
With Pakistan sans AD radar cover, shouldn’t we had meted out more punishment to Pakistan? For the blood spilled on the battlefield (both of soldiers and civilians), was the ceasefire at this juncture justified?
But now it is becoming clear why Shehbaz Sharif panicked, why Trump suddenly intervened, and why PM Modi readily agreed to the ceasefire.
Hostilities eventually ceased, but India agreeing to the ceasefire was viewed widely as a lost opportunity to punish Pakistan more severely
Shehbaz Sharif chaired a meeting of the National Command Authority on May 8, which was viewed as Pakistan’s nuclear tail wagging. However, he called for another meeting of the National Command Authority on May 10, after the ceasefire.
The IAF attack on Pakistan’s airbases included Kirna Hills, a hardened military storage site for both nuclear weapons and conventional ammunition, near Mushaf Airbase in Sargodha. Apparently, a BrahMos missile had struck nearer this storage site.
The latest is that an Egyptian Air Force IL-76 had landed in Pakistan with a full load of Boron-10 isotopes. Boron, particularly the isotope Boron-10, is known for its ability to absorb radiation, and is used to manage nuclear leaks.
The Nile delta is a particularly large source of Boron. This indicates that the area around Kirna Hills is perhaps experiencing nuclear radiation or is in such danger if the storage is smouldering.
Indian Armed Forces, however, remain on alert. Pakistani political scientist and author Ayesha Siddiqa, views Pakistan’s Army Chief, General Asim Munir lacking strategic flexibility like his predecessors.
According to her, Asim Munir’s motivation is rooted in preserving military dominance through religious nationalism (not geopolitics), making him unpredictable and potentially reckless.
The Indian government needs to clarify own aircraft losses (Rafale jets included), as the absence of clarity on such an issue, lowers its credibility, especially when the mainstream media reported a fighter jet crashing around 1.25 am on May 7
India has done extremely well, with the Indian Armed Forces delivering precision strikes on well-chosen targets, which has shaken-up Pakistan. This would provide the basis of evolving strategies and tactics for larger conflict that may be on multiple fronts. However, some issues need to be taken care of, as summarised in succeeding paragraphs.
The Indian government needs to clarify own aircraft losses (Rafale jets included), as the absence of clarity on such an issue, lowers its credibility, especially when the mainstream media reported a fighter jet crashing around 1.25 am on May 7 (some 20 km from Bhatinda) with the pilot bailing out safely.
The excuse given in briefings even after the ceasefire on Operation Sindoor is not warranted. When such crushing blows have been delivered to Pakistan, why hide loss of few fighter jets? Is there a fear that revelation of Rafale losses would adversely affect procurement of more Rafale jets?
Then, there are multiple media sources talking about Chinese J-10 aircraft targeting two Indian Rafale jets. China naturally denies any involvement but that is expected, even if the report is true.
This has serious implications, which needs to be thoroughly examined by the IAF, especially with reports of Pakistan planning to procure Chinese J-20 aircraft.
One view is that the Chinese may have tested their advanced prototype PL-15 or any another missile during the conflict. The Indian deployed S-400 is thought to have a random-architecture-manufacture of its integrated circuits, thereby enabling a tweak in the software of each ICs.
The Indian government must take a serious note of the minimal yearly defence allocations, which turns out to be negative in actual terms. We need to ensure a comprehensive overhaul, required expansion and be war ready for new age warfare. On all domains, viz; land, air, sea, space, and cyber domains
This may have resulted in a nearly un-jammable radar algorithm in S-400s. Maybe, China (which also has S-400) tweaked the radar/ECM/ECCM in their air-to-air missiles. They had nearly 15 days of early warning, since Pahalgam. They could have flown in the prototypes and fitted them on a couple of J-10s; fired a normal PL-15 and then the prototypes, for further evaluation as combat ready.
Further, China believes in a policy of swarms – swarm drones and swarm missiles. It is procuring one million loitering munitions by 2026.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that India has enough ammunition. Hopefully this includes the ammunition for systems like the S-400, which Russia may not be able to supply in large quantities in an emergency situation, due to its own involvement in the Ukraine war.
Finally, the government must take a serious note of the minimal yearly defence allocations, which turns out to be negative in actual terms. We need to ensure a comprehensive overhaul, required expansion and be war ready for new age warfare. On all domains, viz; land, air, sea, space, and cyber domains.
The author is an Indian Army veteran. The views expressed are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
