A year has passed since India launched Operation Sindoor, a decisive and measured response to one of the gravest terrorist attacks India has witnessed in recent decades. The anniversary is not merely a moment of remembrance; it is an occasion to reflect on the evolving global challenge of terrorism, the imperative of international solidarity, and India’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding its citizens while upholding peace and stability.
Pahalgam Terror Attack
On 22 April 2025, the world watched with horror as terrorists belonging to The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the Pakistan-backed and UN-proscribed terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), carried out a brutal attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir in India. Twenty-six innocent lives were lost, twenty-five Indian nationals and one Nepali national. It was the deadliest terrorist attack against civilians in India since the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, also perpetrated by LeT.
The pain and outrage felt across India was profound. Families lost loved ones; children lost parents; communities were shattered. Yet beyond the immediate tragedy lay a larger and deeply troubling reality: cross-border terrorism continues to threaten regional and global peace. No nation can accept a situation where terrorist networks operate with impunity, sheltered by infrastructure, financing and ideological support across the border.
India’s Response
India’s response was deliberate, lawful and restrained. On 23 April 2025, India’s Cabinet Committee on Security took important measures, including placing the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably ended its support for cross-border terrorism. This decision reflected the seriousness with which India views the persistent use of terrorism as an instrument of state policy.
Then, on the morning of 7 May 2025, India exercised its right to respond and pre-empt as well deter more cross-border attacks through Operation Sindoor. The Indian Armed Forces carried out precise, proportionate, non-escalatory and decisive strikes against terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied territories. The operation specifically targeted terror nodes linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and LeT, including Bahawalpur, Muridke, and Muzaffarabad—locations long associated with anti-India terrorist activities. No Pakistani military establishments were targeted at this stage.
India’s objective was clear: dismantle terrorist infrastructure and deter future attacks. Pakistani military establishments were not targeted in the initial phase. Our message was unambiguous — no sanctuary for terrorism would remain beyond reach. Our intention through Operation Sindoor was to convey to forces inimical to India that ‘no place is safe for you’.
Escalation by Pakistan
However, subsequent escalation by Pakistan, including attacks against military and civilian areas, resulted in further loss of life. India was compelled to respond. The Indian Armed Forces launched retaliatory strikes on major Pakistan Air Force bases, demonstrating both operational capability and strategic restraint. Satellite imagery and independent analyses later confirmed the extent of the damage inflicted on military infrastructure supporting hostile actions.
Ultimately, the effectiveness of India’s response prevailed. The request for cessation of firing and military activities came from Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations to his Indian counterpart. The courage, professionalism, and discipline of India’s armed forces played a decisive role in restoring deterrence.
New Security Doctrine
The Honourable Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi, speaking at an Air Force Station after the operation, captured the essence of India’s new security doctrine. India seeks peace and stability, but peace cannot coexist with terrorism. The Prime Minister emphasised that Operation Sindoor represented a trinity of India’s policy, intent, and capability. He made India’s red lines unequivocally clear: any future terrorist attack would invite a decisive response on India’s terms, and in India’s way.
This doctrine reflects a broader reality confronting the international community today. Terrorism anywhere threatens humanity everywhere. The challenge is not confined to South Asia. Africa, too, has experienced the devastating consequences of violent extremism and transnational terror networks. Countries across the Sahel region have suffered attacks that undermine security, economic development and social cohesion. India and Africa share a common interest in strengthening global counterterrorism cooperation, intelligence-sharing and international legal frameworks against terror financing and radicalisation.
India’s diplomatic efforts following the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor underscored this international dimension. The 36th Report of the Monitoring Team of the UN Security Council’s 1267 Sanctions Committee, published in July 2025, included references to the Pahalgam attack and to TRF. Importantly, this marked the first reference to Lashkar-e-Taiba in such reports since 2019, reaffirming growing international recognition of the threat posed by these groups.
India also undertook an unprecedented global outreach campaign. Seven parliamentary delegations representing all major political parties visited thirty-three countries to explain India’s position of zero tolerance for terrorism. Exhibitions on the human cost of terrorism were organized in 17 countries, including at the United Nations and the United States Congress. These initiatives demonstrated that India’s response transcended partisan politics; it reflected a united national resolve. The United States subsequently designated TRF as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity in July 2025.
The Path Ahead
A year on, Operation Sindoor stands as a defining moment in India’s national security policy. It established a new benchmark in confronting cross-border terrorism and introduced a new normal in India’s strategic response. India will strike precisely and decisively at the terrorist hideouts. The message is clear: terrorism will not succeed in coercing democratic societies, and those who sponsor or shelter terrorists cannot remain insulated from consequences. Nor will India differentiate between a government which is sponsoring terrorism and the masterminds of terrorism or tolerate nuclear blackmail. India will continue to protect its citizens with determination and responsibility. At the same time, we will continue working with partners across Africa and the world to strengthen international peace, security, and cooperation against the common threat of terrorism.
The lessons of Operation Sindoor extend beyond one nation or one conflict. They reaffirm a universal principle: humanity must stand united against terror, and democracies must never allow violence and extremism to prevail over peace, justice, and human dignity. The international community must collectively reject double standards and act with consistency against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
India remains committed to peace. But peace requires accountability. Dialogue cannot flourish in the shadow of terror. As the Prime Minister of India stated, ‘Water and blood cannot flow together.’
(Author, H.E. Mr. Dinkar Asthana, is High Commissioner of India to The Gambia)
