Strong, Sensible & Non-Escalatory Military Action

The strikes on terror nurseries mark India's retaliation to the Pahalgam massacre. It is not in Pakistan's interest to escalate the situation

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In the wee hours of Wednesday, India launched Operation Sindoor in retaliation to the attack by Pakistan-backed terrorists who killed 26 people, all men, 25 of them tourists and 24 Hindus, in Pahalgam, Kashmir, on April 22. Nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) that reportedly housed terrorists were destroyed in the attacks. In foreign secretary Vikram Misri's words, the actions "were measured, non-escalatory, proportionate, and responsible" and "focused on dismantling the terrorist infrastructure and disabling terrorists likely to be sent across to India". The response was strong, responsible, and intended to pre-empt more terrorist action from across the border. India did not target Pakistan's core military interests or its civilian enclaves. Islamabad, which initially responded insensitively to the Pahalgam terror by blaming it on local actors, and later, offered to participate in a "neutral and transparent" third-party probe, has threatened to escalate the situation. That would be imprudent.