Brief Summary and Background
Pakistan has a long history of wars with India on the Kashmir issue due to its disputed nature, however, the root cause of tension is far beyond this regional issue which reflects India’s expansionist designs. Though diplomatic ties were established in 1947, yet, India did not accept the creation of Pakistan since day one and has tried to weaken, destabilize and invade whenever and wherever an opportunity came. Thus, India has always posed an existential threat to Pakistan that resulted in pursuing and acquiring nuclear technology after India made its nuclear experiments in 1974.
Furthermore, for every sitting government in Islamabad, relationship with India is a constant and persistent challenge. India’s non-cooperation for a resolution of Kashmir and its hegemonic mindset about further westward expansion thus using Afghanistan as a base camp infrastructure for anti-Pakistan activities, have made it almost impossible for any peaceful relations. The episode of Kulbhushan Jadav and his terror network elaborated clearly the extent to which India is interested in destabilizing Pakistan; no seriousness was ever shown for dialogue especially under the Modi regime. Indian ambitions to bypass Pakistan by reaching out to Iran and Afghanistan through Chahbahar is another domain where diplomacy is ultimately failing since India is not ready to accept the CPEC which is passing through Gilgit Baltistan area which India considers as disputed territory.
It is a well-known fact that if the Kashmir issue is resolved as per the desires of Kashmiri people under a UN plebiscite, normal relationship between the two nuclear armed nations can be kicked off, however, till to date, this is just a dream and India has never shown any inclination to come to table and talk about Kashmir.
A long history of wars and skirmishes including LoC confrontations can be seen consistently i.e. 1947-48 Kashmir war, 1965 Indo Pak war, 1971 East Pakistan war, Brasstack military exercises in 1984, Post Indian Parliament attack and military gathering in 2002, Post Mumbai attack military skirmishes in 2008, the Uri false flag inci dent, Pulwama false flag incident, the 2019 dog fight in the air and now recently the Pahalgam false flag which triggered the May 2025 largest air dog fight and missile/ drone attacks between two nuclear armed nations.
In May 2025, a war like situation between India and Pakistan emerged following an Indian False Flag terror attack in Pahalgam, which led to a four-day military conflict with fighter jets skirmishes, artillery firing at LoC, missile attacks and drone strikes.
The conflict began in April 2025 with a series of escalating events, including downgrading of diplomatic ties, border closures, and suspended Indus Water Treaty. On May 7, India launched missile strikes in Pakistan, thereby escalating the situation.
The war between Pakistan and India uncovered many myths, misunderstandings, and misconceptions particularly on the Indian side. Pakistan emerged victorious and countrywide celebrations were arranged after a ceasefire was declared on May 10. A 31-gun salute was arranged in the Federal Capital and 21-gun salutes were given in all provincial and regional capitals to mark the great success of Operation Banyan Marsus!
The chain of events started as below:
• April 22, 2025: An Indian designed and operated False Flag terror attack was launched in Pahalgam, Indian Occupied Kashmir, killing 26 people, including tourists. The details and nature related to this attack is still unknown.
• April 23, 2025: India downgrades diplomatic ties with Pakistan and moved towards a bigger escalation by suspending the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), an unprecedented move in the Treaty’s 65 years old history.
• April 24, 2025: Both Pakistan and India cancelled visas for each other’s nationals.
Following the Pahalgam attack, India accused Pakistan of supporting insurgents in Kashmir, denied by Pakistan. India then launched missile strikes on multiple targets in Pakistan, including in the Punjab province and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Pakistan responded with air strikes and drone attacks on Indian military bases. Both India and Pakistan exchanged fire and a blame game started with accusations, leading to a state of dangerous escalation.
In Pakistan’s Operation Banyan Marsus, not only were two Indian S-400 batteries destroyed, more than 20 Indian air bases were damaged or destroyed. The entire depot of Brahmos missiles was destroyed. All 77 drones that India fired on Pakistan, were destroyed. The Indian army was deprived of air defense on the Kashmir front.
This is the reason why India was forced to request and accept a cease fire through President Donald Trump of the United States. Otherwise, it is on record that despite many countries asking India to cease fire, India was adamant that it would teach Pakistan a lesson.
Pakistan’s military claimed that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) shot down six Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft on May 7, 2025, during a large-scale aerial engagement.
The aircraft included three French-made Dassault Rafale jets, one Sukhoi Su-30MKI, one Mikoyan MiG-29, and a Mirage 2000, including a Heron reconnaissance drone. AS per Pakistan’s claim, these aircraft were shot down in Indian airspace using Chinese-made J-10C jets equipped with PL-15 air-to-air missiles.
The massive Pakistan – India clash in the skies involved a total of 125 jets from both sides, the largest ever air dogfight since WW2. From the Pakistan side, it used in-cluding J-10Cs, JF-17s, and F-16s, without either side crossing the border. Modi’s machinations exposed India’s weaknesses to the whole world including its longtime adversary, China. Before launching an attack on Pakistan, many of India’s weaknesses were hidden. But this war with Pakistan has made it clear to the world that the Indian army, its economy, its technology, everything is inferior. That is why now the whole world has turned its back on India.
Timeline of the war – Events and Escalations:
7 May: On 7 May 2025, the Indian Armed Forces launched a series of 14 attacks, codenamed Operation Sindoor, targeting nine locations in Pakistani-administered Kashmir and Pakistan’s Punjab province. The attack was presumably carried out by the Rafale aircraft using SCALP missiles and AASM Hammer glide bombs over a 23-minute duration. Reportedly, BrahMos cruise missiles as well as Indian Army’s Indo-Israeli Sky Striker loitering munitions were also used in the operation. A Pakistani general said that the strikes were conducted without Indian aircraft entering Pakistani airspace. The same was stated in a report published by the Press Information Bureau.
The Indian government described the strikes as “focused, measured, and non-escalatory. It claimed that the missile strikes targeted the infrastructure of terrorist groups Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba” and no Pakistani military facilities were targeted. The missile strikes targeted camps across nine locations including Bahawalpur and Muridke, alleged to be the hubs of terrorist organizations Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba respectively.
In response, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif convened a meeting of the National Security Council to coordinate retaliatory strikes. The NSC declared that Pakistan “reserves the right to respond, in self-defence, at a time, place, and manner of its choosing””. According to The Guardian, Sharif gave the Pakistani army, under Asim Munir, the right to respond in any way needed. According to India, Pakistani cross-border artillery shelling and small arms firing increased following the Indian attacks, including in the regions of Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri and Akhnoor, located in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Pakistan said that it had downed three Rafales, one MiG-29, one SU-30MKI and an unmanned aerial vehicle. A French intelligence official told CNN that an Indian Rafale was downed by Pakistan, though the French military did not comment. Reuters reported that unnamed Indian government sources said that three fighter jets had crashed in India due to unknown causes. On 8 May, an unnamed US official told Reuters that he assessed with “high confidence” that Pakistani J-10 aircraft had shot down at least two Indian fighter jets; a second official assessed one of the downed jets to be a Dassault Rafale.
The Washington Post later said that it had identified 3 crash sites in India from 7 May, identifying two of them as belonging to an Indian Dassault Rafale and Dassault Mirage 2000. On 9 May, local government sources in Indian Kashmir told Reuters that 3 fighter jets had crashed in India on 7 May with 3 pilots being hospitalized.
On 11 May, while responding to a question on whether the force suffered losses, the Indian Airforce said that “losses are a part of combat” but declined to provide information on whether any losses had occurred.
8 May: On 8 May, India said that Pakistan had launched drone and missile strikes on several Indian cities, including Amritsar, and that India negated these strikes by the S-400 missile system, denominated as Sudarshan Chakra marking India’s first combat use of the missile system. The Indian government said it was “compelled to respond to bring Mortar and Artillery fire from Pakistan to a halt”.
The Pakistani Foreign Minister denied these claims and said that the Indian Army intentionally carried out an attack on the Indian city of Amritsarand blamed it on Pakistan to fuel anti-Pakistan sentiment among Sikh people, a claim the Indian Foreign Secretary dismissed a a “deranged fantasy”. Pakistan also denied launching a drone and missile strike on India.
The Indian Armed Forces then said that in response to the Pakistani attack, they had carried out SEAD/ DEAD operations, neutralizing Pakistani air defence systems in Lahore. Pakistani authorities said that several Indian drones intruded Pakistani airspace, and 12 Indian drones were shot down. As per Pakistan, these drones were sent into nine different locations including the cities of Karachi and Lahore, and one of the drones struck a Pakistani military facility near Lahore.
The Pakistani military later said to have shot down 25 Israelimade Harop loitering munitions in the Pakistani side of the border, an Indian government sourceconfirmed at least one of those being taken down. A drone also landed near the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium complex before the start of a Pakistan Super League cricket match, prompting the Pakistan Cricket Board to consider transferring the remaining matches to the United Arab Emirates.
Later that day, India said that Pakistan had launched airstrikes directed in and around Jammu district including the airport and the university. All the eight Pakistani missiles were claimed to have been intercepted by the S-400 missile system. Reportedly, multiple explosions were heard in Jammu along with an explosion in Jaisalmer, where drones and fighter jets were also reported. India later said that, these attacks involved 300-400 Turkish-Asisguard Songar drones targeting 36 sites, including civilian and military infrastructure. India also reported cross border firing by heavy calibre artillery guns along the Line of Control (LoC).
Reports termed this conflict as the “first drone war” between the “nuclear-armed neighbours” of South Asia the deployment of Indo-Israeli drones was particularly noteworthy.
9 May: On 9 May the Pakistani media reported that India attacked a Sikh gurdwara, Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib, which was denied by India. Foreign Secretary of India, Vikram Misri addressed the allegations in the media briefing of 9 May. The Pakistan Army also neutralised 77 Indian drones since 6 May.
Exchanges of fire had stopped in the early morning. However, clashes restarted after “13 hours of relative calm”. Exchanges of artillery fire began in Kashmir, including in, Kupwara, Poonch, Uri, and Samba along the LoC. Pakistan reportedly targeted 26 locations across the LoC and the International Border from the Baramulla in the North to Bhuj in the South with drones including armed ones.
During a press briefing, Pakistan once again denied conducting missile and drone strikes on Indian military installations and proposed a neutral third-party investigation, which it claimed was ignored by India. Pakistan also accused India of striking its own territory with ballistic missiles in Adampur and Amritsar, saying that India had targeted the Sikh population in analleged false flag operation aimed at generatingdomestic support. India denied the Pakistani claims and called it an attempt by Pakistan to hide its own aggression.
India also said that a Pakistani attack on a gurdwara in Poonch led to the death of a religious leader among other locals of Sikh community.
10 May: The conflict escalated on 10 May. India accused Pakistan of launching missile attacks on air bases in Punjab in the early hours. The most serious of these attacks was said to be a Fatah-II long-range missile intercepted near the Sirsa Air Force Station shortly after midnight. There was speculation that it was headed to Delhi. India said it launched its own retaliatory attacks on Pakistan’s air bases in response. These were said to have been precision attacks on identified military targets.
At 3:30 am, Pakistan acknowledged attacks on airbases (Nur Khan, Rafiqi, and Murid), which were apparently via air-to-surface missiles launched from fighter jets. Pakistan claimed that the “majority” of the missiles were intercepted, but apparently not all. The Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi was hit, and the resulting explosion and flames caused mass panic in the densely populated area. Pakistan’s state media reported that Shaikh Zayed International Airport in Rahim Yar Khan was damaged in an Indian airstrike.
Shortly after the Indian missile strikes, Pakistan launched a retaliatory operation, codenamed Operation Bunyan-un-Marsus. It claimed to have struck 26 military targets causing major damage, including air bases of Suratgarh, Sirsa, Naliya, Adampur, Bhatinda, Barnala, Halwara, Awantipur, Srinagar, Jammu, Udhampur, Mamoon, Ambala and Pathankot.
It further claimed that the BrahMos storage facilities at Beas and Nagrota were destroyed, and that two S-400 systems at Adampur and Bhuj were neutralised by the Pakistan Air Force. India denied damage to its airbases, including Sirsa Air Force Station and Suratgarh Air Force Station, and rejected claims regarding the destruction of its S-400 and BrahMos systems calling it a “malicious misinformation campaign”. It released time-stamped images of the targets as evidence, and reported minor damage to its airbases in Udhampur, Pathankot, Adampur and Bhuj. That the extent of damage to the Indian airstrips was minimal as further confirmed through commercial imagery obtained by The New York Times.
Pakistan stated that military logistics and support sites such as the Field Supply Depot in Uri and Radar Station in Poonch were targeted, and command headquarters such as 10 Brigade and 80 Brigade at KG Top and Nowshera, as well as proxy training and intelligence fusion facilities in Rajouri and Nowshera were destroyed. Pakistan further claimed that Indian military elements across the Line of Control, including headquarters, logistic bases, artillery positions, and posts, were heavily damaged. Pakistan also claimed that its drones flew over major Indian cities and sensitive political and military sites, including New Delhi.
Additionally, Pakistan reported a spike in terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, which it claimed was sponsored by India. The Indian Army released images of what it said were debris of a Baykar YIHA III loitering munition destroyed by the air defence units. It said thedrones were used to target civilians’ areas in Amritsar at around 5 am. India claimed it carried out precision airstrikes on Pakistan Air Force bases at Rafiqui, Murid, Chaklala, and Rahim Yar Khan Airport in retaliation for drone attacks along the western sector. The strikes also reportedly targeted military sites in Sukkur and Chunia, a radar installation in Pasrur, and the Sialkot aviation base. India also said that it had extensively damaged air bases at Skardu, Sargodha, Jacobabad, and Bholari in Pakistan. Pakistani state media claimed that Pakistan launched a cyberattack as a part of the operation, targeting the Indian military satellites and government websites. Concurrently with the missile strikes, heavy fighting took place at the LoC near Sialkot and Rajouri. India’s military said that Pakistan’s retaliatory strikes targeted civilian areas, including a Hindu temple in Jammu, with drones killing at least five people. Analyst Michael Kugelman posted that the two countries were now “effectively at war” but neither side had mobilized ground forces, according to a former Indian diplomat.
A ceasefire began at 17:00 (IST)/16:30 (PKT). It was first announced by US President Donald Trump on social media prior to the official statements by the Indian and Pakistan foreign ministers. After the ceasefire, there were reports of explosions in the cities of Srinagar and Jammu according to authorities, residents, and reporters.
Indian Amed Forces selection of targets in Azad Kashmir and Pakistan such as Sawai Nala Muzaffarabad, Syedna Bilal Muzaffarabad, Gulpur Kotli, Barnala Bhimber, Abbas Kotli, Bahawalpur Punjab, Murdike Punjab, Sarjal Punjab and Mehmoona JoyaPunjab. Having said that, Pakistan did a fantastic retaliation and made the entire world sit up and take notice about its might and capacity. Pakistan’s tactical and Defence doctrine was exhibited in a limited version during this war. This was clear dominance of the Pakistan armed forces. While the war may be over for now, its impact will echo amongst military and strategic circles for decades to come.
Conclusion
Pakistan has demonstrated it is a powerful country alongside with China and its close brotherly allies Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and Bangladesh.
The Arab allies must realize this new reality and must consider deeper strategic and economic ties with Pakistan. This short war very clearly demonstrated Pakistan’s victory over India, many times bigger than its size. The extremely tactical of Pakistan Air Force is renowned particularly for its highly trained pilots and emphasis on realistic combat simulations and rapid decision-making. Furthermore air expertise and cutting-edge technology has made Pakistan Air Force as one of the most powerful air forces in the entire world.
Pakistan has secured a strong position in the new world order after the recent war with India. Global and regional drawing boards have been modified/updated/altered. As a rule of thumb in this power-driven world, only Power speaks by itself, so Pakistan has demonstrated its worth, capacity and resolve. This was all possible due to exercising golden words Unity, Faith, Discipline and Resilience which entire Pakistani exhibited backing up fully its armed forces.
Masters in the art of aerial combat the aviators of PAF are known to make quick decisions/actions when faced with a challenging situation. In thecurrent scenario, in order to get leverage from this victory, Pakistan needs a paradigm change in foreign policy and move it to be more hawkish than dovish. This is not just a war of narratives, this is a war of international law-abiding nations that believe in the UN Charter against a rogue Indian nation that thinks it can do whatever and wherever it can. India erred and made a big miscalculation, now its international worth has come down to its lowest ever. With full support from Türkiye and Azerbaijan, a powerful message went across the board.
“Our homeland has also grown. From the lights of Baku to the roads of Ankara, from the seas of Lefkosha to the skies of Islamabad, we have a great and powerful homeland!” This is Organization of Turkic States vision for which Pakistan MUST be a member and this is our power, this is Turan.
Pakistan Armed Forces have invented an ART of War by indigenously developing a new “Smart Interface” of the most sophisticated Domains/ Spectrums of modern war. Let this be remembered as an Exclusive and Singular Honor by The Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
The author is grateful to Col (Retd) Maqbool Malik (Governor TSI (Thinker Syndicate International, Centre for Shaping Geo politics and Public diplomacy) for his valuable contributions to this article.
