What we know about India's strike against Pakistan and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir

Two weeks after the fatal militant attacks on India-controlled Kashmir tourists, India launched a series of strikes at Pakistan and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir sites.

The Indian Ministry of Defense said the strike, dubbed “Operation Sindoah” was part of the “commitment” to maintain “responsibility” in Kashmir, managed by India, the head of Pahargam on April 22, leaving 25 Indians and one Nepali national death.

However, Pakistan, which denied its involvement in the attack, described the strike as “unprovoked” and Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif said “heinous acts of invasion are not punished.”

Sharif on Wednesday said the Pahargam attack had “not been associated with” Pakistan, and that his country was “condemned” for “wrong” reasons.

Pakistani forces said at least 31 people were killed and 57 were injured in the strike on Tuesday night. The Indian Army said at least 15 civilians were killed and 43 were injured in fire from the de facto border side.

Pakistani military says it has shot down five Indian aircraft and drones. India has not yet responded to these claims.

Delhi said nine different locations were targeted in both Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and Pakistan early on Wednesday morning.

They say these sites are “terrorist infrastructure” – where the attack was “planned and directed.”

He emphasized that it had not collided with Pakistan's military facilities, saying its “action is essentially focused, measured and non-active.”

In the first aftermath of the attack, Pakistan said three different regions were attacked: Muzafarabad and Kotri in Kashmir, controlled by Pakistan, and Bahawalpur in Pakistan's province in Pakistan, Punjab. Pakistani military spokesman Ahmed Sharif, said six locations were later attacked.

Pakistan's Defense Minister Kawaja Asif added to Geotv early on Wednesday that India's claim that the strike was hit by civilian regions and “targeting terrorist camps” was false.

The strike comes after weeks of rising tensions among nuclear-armed neighbours over the shooting in the picturesque resort town of Pahargam.

The April 22 attack by a group of extremists killed 26 people, with survivors saying the militants were choosing Hindu men.

This was the worst attack on civilians in the region for the first time in 20 years, and the first major attack on civilians since India revoked Article 370, which granted Kashmir's semi-autonomous status in 2019.

Following this decision, the region saw protests but witnessed the decline of extremists and a significant increase in the number of tourists.

The murder sparked widespread rage in India, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that the country hunted the suspects “to the end of the earth” and that those who planned and led it “will be punished beyond imagination.”

However, India initially did not name the group they believed was behind the attack in Pahargam.

However, Indian police have accused the two attackers of being Pakistani citizens and Delhi of supporting Pakistan – Islamabad denies it. He says it has nothing to do with the attack on April 22nd.

On May 7, India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Mithri said extremist groups from Pakistan-based Rashkar e-Taiba had launched the attack.

In the next two weeks, both sides had taken strict measures against each other, including expelling diplomats, suspending visas and closing border crossings.

However, many expected it to escalate to some cross-border strike, as seen after the attack on Pulwama, which killed 40 Indian paramilitary personnel in 2019.

Kashmir is fully claimed by India and Pakistan, but was divided after its independence from the UK in 1947, so each is controlled only by its own individuals.

The country has fought two wars over it.

However, recently, the attacks were made by extremists who took both countries to the brink. Controlled by India, Kashmir has seen armed rebellions against Indian rule since 1989, with extremists targeting security forces and civilians.

In 2016, after 19 Indian soldiers were killed at URI, India launched a “surgical strike” beyond Control, the de facto border between India and Pakistan.

In 2019, the bombing of Pulwama, which killed 40 Indian paramilitary personnel, prompted air strikes deep into Barakot, the first action in Pakistan since 1971.

Neither is a spiral, but the wider world remains wary of the dangers of what will happen if it does. To prevent this, attempts have been made by various countries and diplomats around the world.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres immediately called for “the greatest detention.” This is a sentiment reflected by many countries, including the European Union and Bangladesh.

British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer urged “dialogue” and “escalation.”

President Donald Trump, who responded first, told White House reporters he hoped the fight would end “very quickly.” Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he is focusing on development.