“Pahalgam Attack: Sindoor Operation and Bunyan Al-Marsoos Operation” by Abdul Rehman Cheema

August 26, 2025
By Seekh Organization

"Discover the Pahalgam Attack, Sindoor Operation, and Bunyan Al-Marsoos—

On 22 April 2025, an attack on non-Muslim tourists by four armed terrorists near Pahalgam in the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, resulted in the deaths at least 26 civilians. The militants mainly targeted Hindu tourists, one Christian tourist and one local Muslim pony ride operator who tried to wrestle a gun from the attackers.

According to Indian news like “The Hindu” and “The Times of India”, the militants singled out the men and asked for their religion before shooting the Hindu and Christian tourists. The attackers also asked some tourists to recite the Islamic Kalma. Indian police have named three of four suspected attackers. They said two were Pakistani nationals and one a local man from Indian-administered Kashmir. There is no information about the fourth one.

Kashmir Dispute

Before moving towards the Pahalgam attack, let’s have an overview on the Kashmir issue. The Kashmir dispute is a boundary conflict between India and Pakistan and also involves China, each controlling and claiming different parts of the region since the 1947 partition of subcontinent. See below:

Figure 1: Parts of Kashmir controlled by Pakistan, India & China

India controls approximately 55% of the land area of the region that includes Jammu, the Kashmir Valley, most of Ladhak, the Siachen Glacier, and 70% of its population while Pakistan controls approximately 30% of the land area that includes Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan; and China controls the remaining 15% of the land area that includes the Aksai Chin region, the mostly uninhabited Trans-Karakoram Tract, and part of the Demchok sector.

Wars on Kashmir Issue:

Pakistan fought three wars with India over the Kashmir dispute.

The first war began in November 1947 and lasted until the end of 1948. It was a triba war that lasted for a certain period of time in different areas and places.
The second war was fought in September 1965 and lasted for seventeen days, which was then handled through the Tashkent Agreement signed between Pakistani president Ayub Khan and Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in 10th January, 1966 mediated by Soviet Union.
The third war was fought in December 1971 and lasted for 13 days. The result of which we get in the form of the creation of Bangladesh on 16 December 1971.
After this war, in July 1972, the Simla Agreement was signed, through which the Line of Control (LoC) was established in the state of Jammu and Kashmir as the de facto border between Pakistan and India.
Next, the Kargil War was fought between India and Pakistan from May to July 1999 in the Kargil district of Ladhak and elsewhere along the Line of Control (LoC). This war result in conflict between prime minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Pervez Musharraf and fourth Martial Law in Pakistan on October 12, 1999.

Figure 2: Nawaz Sharif and Pervez Musharraf at Keil sector near Rawlakot on the Line of Control, February 1999

Additionally, there have been several other armed skirmishes and standoffs including Siachen Conflict. Prior to 2025, the largest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir in preceding years were the 2016 Uri attack and 2019 Palwama attack. India blamed Pakistan-based militants for both of them and conducted retaliatory strikes.

Speech of General Asim Munir (April 17, 2025)

Since General Asim Munir took over, he has mostly not spoken in public, but one speech has gained widespread attention. On the 17th of April, he told a meeting of expatriates in Islamabad,

“We are different from Hindus in every possible way”.

He doubled down on Kashmir, calling it Pakistan’s jugular vein and vowed Pakistan would never abandon Kashmiris in their heroic struggle against Indian occupation. He declared:

“Pakistan has already fought three wars for Kashmir, and if 10 more wars are required,
Pakistan will fight them.”

He also emphasized the two nation theory in his speech. [1]

Figure 3: Field Martial Asim Munir, a Meeting of Expatriates in Islamabad

Just five days later, on 22 April, four armed terrorists opened fire on tourists in Pahalgam in Indianadministered Kashmir at the same time when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a visit to Saudi Arabia and the Vice President of the United States, JD Vance, was in India.

How did India respond?

Just after a few hours, New Delhi swiftly pointed the finger at Pakistan. India closed a key border crossing and also expelled military, naval and air advisers from the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi. Additionally, it suspended its role in the Indus Water Treaty, an important water-sharing pact between India and Pakistan that has been in force since 1960 and
is regarded as a rare diplomatic success story between the two disputatious neighbors. Modi said in a fiery speech, day after the killings:
“India will identify, track and punish the people behind the attack in a way beyond their
imagination”.

How did Pakistan respond?

Following India’s move, Pakistan suspended all trade with India and expelled Indian diplomats, calling New Delhi’s measures “unilateral, unjust, politically motivated and extremely irresponsible legal merit.” Pakistan suspended the Simla Agreement, which has since formed the bedrock of India-Pakistan relations. Pakistan also closed its airspace for Indian flights which increased the duration of India’s flights from 14 to 18 hours and could cause a loss of about 500 million dollars per month for India.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on April 26 accused New Delhi of leveling baseless allegations against Islamabad and said it was “open to participate in any neutral, transparent and credible investigation.”[2] For this purpose, Pakistan also invited national and international journalists to visit Azad Kashmir on May 4 to refute India’s fabricated narrative.

The Onset of War Preparations

After all this, both countries continued to take steps like closing ports for each other, blocking YouTube channels, and preparing for a war which was a precursor to a bigger threat. Pakistan’s official accounts were closed by India while India has not officially commented on why the accounts were taken offline. More than a dozen Pakistani news channels were also banned in India for spreading what was described as provocative content. India remained adamant in blaming Pakistan for the incident, while Pakistan denied it and kept issuing statements calling for an impartial investigation. Since the measures were announced, 786 Pakistani citizens have left India and 1,465 Indians have returned from the Pakistan according to the BBC.
Both countries also started their war preparations. Areas near the borders were evacuated and unconfirmed reports of light fighting started coming from both sides. Pakistan successfully tested the Abdali weapon system on May 3, which has a range of up to 450 kilometers. Similarly, India also started testing weapon systems. All this was a precursor to the fact that a major conflict was waiting for this region.

Figure 4: Abdali missile test raises Pak-India tensions

How other countries responded?

United States Secretary Marco Rubio

On Wednesday, 30th April, United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to urge both countries to work together to “de-escalate tensions and maintain peace and security in South Asia”[3].

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

According to Al-Jazeera report, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also called Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday 1st May to condemn the attack. He said:
“I offered my strong support. We stand with India and its great people”.

Turkish ambassador Dr. Irfan Neziroglu

The Turkish ambassador Dr. Irfan Neziroglu met the Prime Minister of Pakistan Shahbaz Sharif and he described the incident as a terrorist attack and supported Pakistan’s position that an impartial investigation team should be formed.
Multiple reports circulating on social media claimed that a Turkish C-130E Hercules landed in Karachi, allegedly to deliver military equipment. The reports were based on flight-tracking data published by open-source intelligence (OSINT) trackers. The aircraft was seen flying over the Arabian Sea on April 28. However, the claims were refuted by the Presidency’s Directorate of Communications. “A cargo plane from Turkey landed in Pakistan for refueling. It then continued on its route. Speculative news made outside of the statements of authorized persons and institutions should not be relied upon.”

China

China also strongly condemned the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty and indicated its support for Pakistan and according to Indian news, Pakistan receive PL-15 missiles from China on 27 April, 2025.

Russia

In Russia, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) quoted Putin as emphasizing that the culprits of the attack must be brought to justice. President Putin called PM Narendra Modi and strongly condemned the terror attack in Pahalgam, Indian occupied Kashmir. He conveyed deepest condolences on the loss of innocent lives and expressed full support to India in the
fight against terrorism, said spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
Meanwhile India signed a deal with France’s Dassault Aviation on Monday to buy another 26 Rafale fighter aircraft worth 630 billion rupees ($7.4 billion) for its navy in late April.

Who is the mastermind of this Pahalgam attack? Pakistan or India?

India has not officially named any organization it suspects carried out the attack, but it was initially reported that a group called The Resistance Front (TRF) was behind the attack. The group, however, denied involvement in a statement issued days later. It is reportedly affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based militant group, which India classifies as terrorist.
According to a report of NewIndianExpress, Sheikh Sajjad Gul, identified as the mastermind behind the April 22, Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. Gul is reportedly hiding in Rawalpindi under the protection of the LeT. He has been linked to several terrorists’ activities in Jammu and Kashmir. That’s why India is blaming Pakistan for this Pahalgam attack.

But there is a series of questions that does not stop. Why was the security in the Pahalgam area, which is famous for tourism, so weak that only four terrorists came and killed 26 people and then returned? Why doesn’t India want to sit down and resolve this issue with negotiation? Why is there so much seriousness between the two countries that they can’t even agree to
investigate the matter? A few months ago, Donald Trump, while imposing sanctions on Iran’s nuclear program, said that there is an Islamic country that has become a nuclear power, but this should not have happened. This means that he was indirectly talking about Pakistan. Now, what does this incident happening at the exact time when JD Vance was in India indicate? To find the answers to these questions, let’s take a broader look.

Muslims Labelled as Terrorists after 9/11

The incident of 9/11 is in front of us, after which the Muslims were labeled as terrorists in the whole world. Then the United States also began to conduct operations to occupy Afghanistan. However, it did not succeed in capturing Afghanistan and had to announce his withdrawal in 2021, but yet it left Afghanistan far behind in the political and economic arenas. Now the
Pahalgam incident is also being used as the same 9/11 incident so that Trump’s strategy can be fulfilled that was said about nuclear power, Pakistan.

Gaza, which is now completely victimized by Israeli aggression. What happened in Gaza is a sign that uniting for the Muslim Ummah is nothing more than just a dream. And after all, this the Aqsa Mosque is no longer safe. After Iran, Syria and Lebanon, now Israel has turned to Yemen in the backdrop of the United States. Even after all this, since the Muslim Ummah could not unite, it was an encouragement for a world of disbelief that the Muslim Ummah was sleeping, so the circle around it should be tightened even more. So this is a war against a religion and the real culprits who were the masterminds of this Pahalgam incident are not recognized yet.

Where Pakistan and India get their arms?

On a global scale, Pakistan is the fifth-largest arms importer with 4.6 percent imports in 2020–

Since 1990, Pakistan’s main supplier has been China. China supplied 81 percent of Pakistan’s arms imports in 2020–24.
India was the second-largest arms importer from 2020-2024, after Ukraine, bearing an 8.3 Percent share of global imports. The majority of India’s imports come from Russia, although it has been shifting its arms sourcing to France, Israel and the United States.

Figure 5: New York Times[4]

Sindoor Operation by India (7th May)

Two weeks after a brutal terror attack in Pahalgam, India launched a military strike on nine sites in Pakistan, four in Pakistan, including Bahawalpur, Muridke, and Sialkot and five in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoK) and called these attacks as Sindor Operation. In a statement early on Wednesday, India’s government said its military had attacked terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed. During the briefing on Operation Sindoor on Wednesday, India had called its response to the Pahalgam terror attack “focused, measured and non-escalatory”, and it was specifically mentioned that Pakistani military establishments had not been targeted.

Figure 6: Foreighn Secretary Vikram Misri, addresses a press conference after India struck multiple sites in Pakistan under
Sindoor Operation

Pakistan said on Wednesday that at least 26 people were killed and 46 others injured in the Indian attacks, accusing New Delhi of committing an act of war. These attacks of India were on the religious institutions of Pakistan, including mosques and madaris. According to Indian authorities, the operation targeted camps affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-eMohammad (JeM).

Indian Aircrafts Shoot Down

Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, speaking to a foreign TV network, confirmed that at least five Indian aircrafts, including three Rafale jets, one MiG-29, one SU-30, and a Heron surveillance drone have been shot down and a number of Indian soldiers have been taken prisoner. Rafales are the same planes that were considered to be unbeatable in Libya, Iraq and Syria. When India purchased the Rafale aircraft, the Indian media made a publicity as if Pakistan has no answer for it. Rafale aircrafts are a very powerful machine that is definitely a headache for Pakistan, but as Pakistani expert pilots dropped the Rafael planes, it is a great deal of appreciation for Pakistan’s air force.

The shares of Dassault Aviation -the French company behind the Rafale fighter jet fell sharply by 6% on Wednesday. On the other hand, Share prices of China’s Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) which manufactures J-10 and J-17 fighter jets surged by more than 17% on Wednesday following reports that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) had shot down multiple
Indian combat aircraft, including French-made Rafale jets.

Figure 7: Colonel Qureshi co-led the official briefing on Operation Sindoor alongside Wing Commander Vyomika Singh

Pakistan military spokesperson Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said on Thursday 8th May, that the Israeli-made Harop drones were shot down in various locations, including near major urban centers like Karachi, Lahore, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, Attock, Bahawalpur, Miyano and Sialkot. India has imported military hardware worth $2.9 billion from Israel over the last decade, including radars, surveillance and combat drones, and missiles.

Attack on Military Stations of Jammu and Amritsar

On Thursday May 8th, India’s Ministry of Defence said on X, citing places in and near the federal territory of Jammu and Kashmir:
“Military stations at Jammu, Pathankot & Udhampur were targeted by Pakistani-origin drones and missiles along the international border in J&K today.”
He also said that Pakistan attacked the area of Sikhs majority city, Amritsar. [5] While on the other hand, senior minister of Pakistan Ishaq Dar and ISPR Director General Lt.Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry shared details about the projectiles, which they claimed were launched by India the previous night. ISPR claimed, India fired four projectiles from Adampur, a town in
the Jalandhar district of Indian Punjab. Three projectiles were intently targeted at Amritsar while a fourth projectile entered Pakistani airspace, which was shot down by the air defense system in Dinga, Gujrat, around 87km from the nearest point on the India-Pakistan border.

He said India’s claim that Pakistan attacked 15 locations was a fantastic and cooked-up story. The military spokesperson also lambasted the Indian media for falsely accusing Pakistan of launching attacks.
“When Pakistan strikes, we won’t need the Indian media to report it. The whole world will
come to know. Its reverberations will be felt everywhere.”

How world leaders respond to Sindoor Operation?

Donald Trump

Shortly after India carried out military strikes targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, US President Donald Trump said he hopes that the hostilities will end very quickly. “It’s a shame”, he said, adding,
“We heard about it just as we were walking in the doors of the Oval Office. I guess people
knew something was going to happen based on a little bit of the past”[6]

Spokespersons of Turkey and China

The Turkish ambassador to Pakistan called on foreign minister Ishaq Dar to convey his country’s solidarity with Pakistan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson of China said in a statement. “We call on both India and Pakistan to prioritise peace and stability, remain calm and restrained, and avoid taking actions that further complicate the situation.” And the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey reiterated its support for Pakistan’s call for an investigation into the April 22 attacks.

Foreign Minister of France

Foreign Minister of France Jean-Noel Barrot said in an interview on TF1 television: “We understand India’s desire to protect itself against the scourge of terrorism, but we obviously call on both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint to avoid escalation and, of course, to protect civilians.”

Israel’s ambassador to India

Israel’s ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, said in a statement that Israel supports India’s right for self-defense. Posting on X, Azar said, “Israel supports India’s right for self defense.Terrorists should know there’s no place to hide from their heinous crimes against the innocent.

Operation Bunyan al Marsoos by Pakistan (10 May, 2025)

On the night between 9th and 10th May, Director General ISPR Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry at a press conference confirmed that India fired the air-to-ground missiles at the Nur Khan base (Rawalpindi), Murid base (Chakwal) and Shorkot air base. “By the graceof Allah Almighty, all PAF assets are safe,” he said. He warned India of a befitting response, saying,
“Now just wait for our response”.
Islamabad said that in response, it launched a major military campaign, “Operation Bunyan Marsoos” (a structure made of lead), targeting at least six Indian military bases. Pakistan launched its Al-Fatah missile as part of the ongoing retaliatory operation, naming it in honor of the Pakistani children who lost their lives in recent Indian aggression.

Figure 8: Pakistan launches Al-Fateh missile naming it in honor of the Pakistani childern who lost their lives

According to security sources of Pakistan, Adampur Airfield, identified as the launch site for missiles fired at Sikh-populated areas in Amritsar, as well as at targets in Pakistan, was destroyed in the ongoing retaliatory strikes. Pakistan destroyed a BrahMos missile storage site in the Beas area, which was reportedly used to launch missiles at Pakistan. In addition, the Udhampur Airbase has been destroyed and the airfield in Pathankot has also been rendered non-operational. A Cyberattack has disabled nearly 70% of India’s power grid infrastructure, significantly disrupting electricity supply in India. India, in turn, accused Pakistan of being the aggressor. Indian military officials claimed Pakistan had targeted several Indian military bases. The attacks in both countries on 10th May are as below:

Figure 9: Al-Jazeera

At a media briefing, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri accused Pakistan of provocations and escalations, claiming that New Delhi was only responding to its neighbour’s actions. He was joined by Colonel Sofia Qureshi of the Indian Army and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh of the Indian Air Force. They said Pakistan used drones, long-range weapons, loitering
munitions and fighter aircrafts to target civilian areas and military infrastructure. Colonel Sofia Qureshi said,

“The Pakistan military also resorted to air intrusions using drones and firing of heavy calibre
weapons along the Line of Control”.

While India said it had shot down most incoming missiles and drones, Qureshi and Singh conceded that the air force bases in Udhampur, Pathankot, Adampur and Bhuj did suffer limited damage.

Destruction of S-400 System and LoC Dispute

Pakistan Air Force’s JF-17 Thunder hypersonic missiles destroyed India’s S-400 system in Adampur, state-run Pakistan TV reported. Indian officials denied that their S-400 air defense system, based in Adampur in the Punjab state, had not been destroyed. Al Jazeera reported that heavy fighting was taking place at the LoC near the Pakistani city of Sialkot. Heavy shelling and fire were reported near the city of Rajouri in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Death of Raj Kumar Thapa

The Chief Minister of India-administered Kashmir, Omar Abdullah later reported in X that the commissioner of the city, Raj Kumar Thapa, was killed by Pakistani shelling on his house. Later, Indian local media claimed that five people were killed in the same shelling. [8]

Press Conference of Pakistani Officials

Next day in a press conference, Air vice Marshal Aurangzeb Ahmed declared that the Pakistan Air Force had achieved 6-0 victory over the Indian Air Force. Vice Admiral Rab Nawaz explained that the Pakistan Navy maintained maritime security against a numerically superior enemy.

Figure 10: Director General ISPR Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif CHaudhry with Air Vice Marshal Aurangzeb Ahmed and Vice Admiral Raab Nawaz

Ceasefire

On 10 May 2025, the Foreign Secretary of India, Vikram Misri and the Pakistani Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar stated that both countries agreed to a full ceasefire and hostilities would end as of 5:00 p.m. The director generals of military operations will talk again on the 12th of May. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister later confirmed the agreement had been reached by the two
countries, adding that three dozen countries were involved in the diplomacy. The statement by foreign secretary of India stated:

“It was agreed between them that both sides would stop all firing and military action on land
and in the air and sea with effect from 17:00 hours Indian Standard Time today.”

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a phone conversation with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir on Saturday, calling for restraint and urging both Pakistan and India to pursue immediate de-escalation, according to a spokesperson from the US Department of State. United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared that both nations
would discuss a broad set of issues at a neutral site and that he and Vice President JD Vance had extensively corresponded with senior officials on both sides.

Donald Trump’s Tweet

US president Donald Trump made a post on social media about the ceasefire around late noon IST/PKT, prior to the official announcements by the Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers. He posted:

“After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that
India and Pakistan have agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire. Congratulations to both
countries on using common sense and great intelligence. Thank you for your attention to this
matter!”

OIC

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has released a statement saying it welcomes the truce and appreciates the efforts of intermediary countries.
“We call on the international community to encourage Pakistan and India to engage in
constructive dialogue to resolve outstanding issues,”
said the OIC, which represents 57 states.

Speech of Shahbaz Sharif

Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif stated that Trump had played a pivotal and paramount role in facilitating the truce along with representatives of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, the UK, the UN, and China. In an address to the nation late on Saturday,10 May 2025, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated his nation on what he described as a “victory.”
“This is a success for the army and the whole Pakistani nation… This is victory,”
Although the US, India and Pakistan have made a diplomatic statement that they are not involved in the Pahalgam attack, but this is the game.

Conclusion

The Pahalgam attack shows how serious and dangerous the Kashmir conflict still is. For many years, India and Pakistan have disagreed over Kashmir, leading to violence and many military operations, like India’s Sindoor and Pakistan’s Bunyan al-Marsos. These actions have made the situation more tense and difficult for people living in the region. To bring peace, both countries need to move away from fighting and start honest talks. War and violence only hurt ordinary people—especially those in Kashmir, who live in fear and pain. Real peace can only happen when both sides choose understanding, respect, and cooperation instead of conflict.