India- Pakistan Clash of 2025

Map of India (Orange) and Pakistan (Green)

 

Background: This recent modern manifestation of this clash begins with The Kashmir Conflict, which has been ongoing since 1947, has fuelled multiple wars and skirmishes between India and Pakistan over the disputed region. On 22 April 2025, a terrorist attack by five armed terrorists near Pahalgam in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir killed 26 civilians, mostly Hindu tourists. The Resistance Front, an offshoot of Pakistan-based, UN-designated, terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, initially claimed responsibility for the attack, which it later retracted. India announced a series of retaliatory measures against Pakistan, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, prompting responsive measures and leading to a diplomatic crisis and border skirmishes. On 30 April, Pakistan claimed that a military strike by India was imminent. On 7 May 2025, India announced that it had launched missile and air strikes, codenamed Operation Sindoor, targeting nine sites across Pakistani-administered Azad Kashmir and Pakistan's Punjab province. The targets in Pakistan-administered Kashmir were targeted by Indian Army's artillery regiment using precision long-range Excalibur rounds and loitering munitions, while the Indian Air Force provided air defence. The Israeli press mentioned Indo-Israeli SkyStriker loitering munitions. The attacks on targets in Pakistani Punjab were carried out by the Indian Air Force. According to sources cited by India Today, Rafale jets were employed, equipped with SCALP missiles and AASM Hammer bombs. 

According to a working paper written by Christopher Clary for Stimson Center, BrahMos cruise missiles might have also been used. The Indian government described the strikes as "focused, measured, and non-escalatory". Indian military spokespeople said that the missile strikes targeted infrastructure linked to the terrorist groups Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HuM),  and that no Pakistani military facilities were targeted, with the locations selected to avoid damage to civilian infrastructure. The missile strikes targeted locations including Subhan Allah Mosque in Bahawalpur (near Ahmedpur East) and Markaz-e-Taiba in Muridke, part of the headquarters of JeM and the headquarters of LeT respectively and alleged by India to be their terrorist training camps. Other sites claimed to have been targetted by India included Abbas Mosque (associated with the JeM) in Kotli District, Shawai Nala camp (associated with the LeT) and Syedna Bilal Mosque (associated with the JeM) in Muzaffarabad, a site in Gulpur, Kotli District (alleged by the Indian government to be a LeT and HuM camp); Markaz Ahl-e-Hadith in Barnala, Bhimber District (alleged by the Indian government to be associated with the LeT); a site in Mehmona Joya, Kotli Loharan West, Sialkot District (alleged by the Indian government to be a HuM camp); and a site in Tera Katlan in Sarjal, Shakargarh Tehsil, Sialkot District (alleged by the Indian government to be a JeM camp). India later showed satellite images purportedly showing damage at the targetted sites.

According to a Pakistani security source, approximately 125 Indian and Pakistani fighter jets engaged in the aerial dogfight after the Indian air strikes on 7 May, exchanging long-range missile fire in a confrontation that lasted over an hour. According to The Daily Telegraph, neither Pakistani nor Indian aircraft crossed the border, engaging instead in a "stand-off" conflict at a distance of more than 100km at times. Pakistan claimed that during the dogfight it had downed five Indian aircraft including three Rafales, one MiG-29, one SU-30MKI and a Heron unmanned aerial vehicle. On 15 May, Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif claimed that Pakistan shot down six Indian fighter jets, the sixth being a Mirage 2000. On 28 May, he again said that six Indian fighter jets were downed but said that four of these were Rafale, one MiG-29 and one "another plane". On 6 June, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) said that No. 15 Squadron, also known as the Cobras, was responsible for shooting down six Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jets. Operating out of PAF Base Minhas in Kamra with J-10C multirole fighters equipped with PL-15 beyond-visual-range missiles, the squadron claimed to have downed three Rafales, a MiG-29, a Mirage-2000, and a Su-30MKI. According to Dawn, the Cobras deployed 18 out of the 20 aircraft assigned to the squadron for the intercept operation on 7 May.

A French intelligence official told CNN that an Indian Rafale was downed by Pakistan, though the French military did not comment. According to a working paper written by Christopher Clary for Stimson Center, there was credible evidence that up to four Indian aircraft may indeed have been shot down during the encounter. 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-administered Jammu and Kashmir told Reuters that three fighter jets crashed in India on 7 May with three 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. Pakistan confirmed strikes on six of the sites targetted by India, denying the strikes at Barnala and Gulpur in Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir, but said these were civilian areas including mosques and residential areas and were not terrorist facilities. The Pakistani government condemned them as an "act of war" that resulted in civilian casualties. Shehbaz 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." 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 Poonch, Rajouri, Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri and Akhnoor, located in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistani shelling of Poonch town and its vicinity killed at least 11 people and damaged an Islamic school along with numerous homes. According to The News Minute, the casualties included a Sikh ragi. Pakistan said that the Neelum–Jhelum Hydropower Plant had been damaged by Indian shelling following the initial Indian strikes.

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 at Adampur Air Force Station, marking India's first combat use of the missile system. Pakistan denied launching drone and missile strikes on India.  Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar claimed that the Indian Army had intentionally carried out a false flag attack on the Indian city of Amritsar, blaming it on Pakistan in order to generate domestic support. The Pakistani military spokesperson also claimed that Indian drones headed towards Nankana Sahib were brought down. The claim was denied by India and described as false by Indian media. Indian foreign secretary Vikram Misri dismissed these as a "deranged fantasy" and an attempt by Pakistan to hide its own actions. The Indian Armed Forces 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 in 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 claimed to have shot down 25 Israeli-made Harop loitering munitions in its territory. India admitted to one being taken down. A drone also landed near the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium complex before the start of a Pakistan Super League match, prompting the Pakistan Cricket Board to postpone the game.

Later that day, India said that Pakistan had launched airstrikes directed in and around Jammu district including the airport and the university. All of 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. On the 9th of May The Pakistan Army claimed to have 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. According to the Indian Army, drones were reportedly sighted in 26 locations across a wide area from Baramulla in the north to Bhuj in the south, with at least one armed drone in Punjab; however, Pakistani officials dismissed the Indian accusations as "baseless and misleading", denying any offensive actions. India claimed that a Pakistani army post along the LoC was destroyed.

During a press briefing, Pakistan once again denied carrying out missile and drone strikes on Indian military installations and proposed a neutral third-party investigation into the 2025 Pahalgam attack, which it claimed was ignored by India. On 9 May, reports indicated that India had repositioned its Western Fleet, including an aircraft carrier, destroyers, frigates and anti-submarine warfare ships, in the northern Arabian Sea. According to an Indian defence source cited by The Daily Telegraph, the fleet was brought within operational range of Karachi, Pakistan's largest port city and the headquarters of the Pakistan Navy. On 10 May, India accused Pakistan of launching missile attacks on air bases in Punjab in the early hours, including the Pathankot military airfield. According the The Indian Express, a Fatah-II long-range missile was intercepted near the Sirsa Air Force Station shortly after midnight. At 1:45 am, Pakistan Army spokesman made a unscheduled broadcast claiming that India fired ballistic missiles from Adampur that fell into its own territory, saying that they struck Adampur and Amritsar, and later (around 3:20 am) added that India had targeted Afghanistan with missile and drone strikes. India denied the allegations, calling the claims "ludicrous" and "frivolous". The Taliban government of Afghanistan also denied Pakistani claims of Indian attacks on Afghanistan. It was termed a "bizarre and unsubstantiated claim" by Clary. At 2:09 am, Pakistan's Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi, considered a strategic target by India, was hit by an Indian missile. India said the next morning that it had launched attacks on Pakistan's air bases in response to the drone and missile attacks along India's western sector. It described them as precision attacks on identified military targets. It said Pakistan Air Force bases at Rafiqui, Murid, Chaklala, and Rahim Yar Khan Airport as having been targeted. The strikes also targeted military sites in Sukkur and Chunian, a radar installation in Pasrur, the Sialkot aviation base, and other air bases at Skardu, Sargodha, Jacobabad, and Bholari.

Around 3:20 am, Pakistan denied initiating hostilities, instead alleging that India had first fired air-to-surface missiles using fighter jets at military bases — Nur Khan, Rafiqui, and Murid. Pakistan said that all Pakistan Air Force (PAF) assets at targeted bases remained safe. Pakistani media reported that Sheikh Zayed International Airport in Rahim Yar Khan was targeted and suffered structural damage. The airport was named after Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and is regarded as a symbol of Pak-UAE friendship. Although commercial flights have been suspended since 2023, the airport was occasionally used by members of the House of Nahyan via the Royal Lounge, which was among the facilities destroyed in the attack. The Pakistan military later confirmed that six of its airmen were killed during the Indian air strikes including 5 deaths at Bholari and one at Sargodha; Chief Minister of Sindh, Murad Ali Shah, also later said that nine personnel injured in Indian attacks. Shortly after the Indian missile strikes, Pakistan launched a retaliatory operation, codenamed Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos. It claimed to have struck and caused major damage to 26 military targets, including 15 air bases of Suratgarh, Sirsa, Naliya, Adampur, Bhatinda, Barnala, Halwara, Awantipur, Srinagar, Jammu, Udhampur, Mamoon, Ambala and Pathankot. It further said 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. Pakistan said 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 said that Indian military elements across the LoC, including headquarters, logistic bases, artillery positions, and posts, were heavily damaged. It said 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. Pakistani state media said that Pakistan launched a cyberattack as a part of the operation, targeting Indian military satellites and government websites. Pakistan shut down its air space later in the day. The Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif later said in his speech on the Independence Day of Azerbaijan that the operation had already been initially planned for 4:30 am in the morning but India attacked before that time. In an earlier speech, he had said that the Army Chief called him at 2:30 am to inform him about the Indian airstrikes and sought permission to strike back. The Army Chief is said to have called back later in the night informing him about "befitting response" and adding, "we are being requested for a ceasefire". PM Sharif said he told him to go ahead and accept the offer.

India denied damage to its airbases, including Sirsa and Suratgarh Air Force Stations, 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; the death of an Indian Air Force soldier at Udhampur was also confirmed. That the extent of damage to the Indian airstrips was minimal was further confirmed through commercial imagery obtained by The New York Times.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 the drones were used to target civilians areas in Amritsar at around 5 am. India later said that over 600 Pakistani loitering munitions, the Baykar YIHA, and UCAVs, the Asisguard Songar, were shot down and several missiles were intercepted. Concurrently with the missile strikes, heavy fighting took place at the LoC near Sialkot and Rajouri. India's military said that Pakistan's retaliatory shelling targeted civilian areas killing at least five people, with drones targeting a Hindu temple in Jammu. Analyst Michael Kugelman posited that the two countries were now "effectively at war"; but neither side had mobilized ground forces, according to a former Indian diplomat. At 6:55 am, PTV News reported that prime minister Shehbaz Sharif had called a meeting of the National Command Authority, responsible for the country's nuclear weapons command and control through its secretariat - the Strategic Plans Division. Pakistan's Minister of Defence Khwaja Asif later denied that such a meeting took place or was scheduled. 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 Pakistani foreign ministers. After the ceasefire, there were reports of explosions in the cities of Srinagar and Jammu according to authorities, residents and Reuters witnesses. Both sides claimed victory after the ceasefire. Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif designated 16 May to be celebrated as Youm-e-Tashakur ('Day of Gratitude') in honour of its armed forces.

A fragile ceasefire was achieved around midday on Saturday, 10 May, with the intervention of the United States. The US grew concerned with the possibility of the conflict turning nuclear, and the Secretary of State Marco Rubio started making calls from 4:00 PKT. He spoke to Pakistan's Army chief Asim Munir, National Security Advisor Asim Malik and prime minister Shehbaz Sharif. United States Vice President J. D. Vance was in touch with the Indian authorities, including prime minister Narendra Modi. Interventions were also made by Saudi Arabia, Iran, the UAE and the UK. The Indian and Pakistani heads of military operations spoke on phone at 2:30 pm for the first time since the conflict broke out. According to the information given to India's parliamentary panel on foreign affairs, Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) attempted to make contact with his Indian counterpart at 9:15 am IST on 10 May. Another message was sent through diplomatic channels at around noon. In the interim, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Indian foreign minister at 11:30 am and indicated Pakistan's willingness to agree to a ceasefire. A conversation between the two DGMO's took place at 1:15 pm IST in which Pakistan indicated its willingness to cease hostilities. Another conversation followed at 3:30 pm, at which an understanding was reached between the two sides. Indian foreign minister S. Jaishankar said in Europe that India fired back in self-defence and, once Pakistan relented, "we were able to stop firing". Foreign Secretary of India Vikram Misri and the Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar stated that both militaries agreed to a full ceasefire and that hostilities would end as of 5:00 p.m. IST/4:30 pm PKT. Dar stated that 36 countries helped broker the truce. However, an Indian official told Agence France Presse that the ceasefire was negotiated bilaterally in the sense that "stoppage of firing and military action between India and Pakistan was worked out directly between the two countries". 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. Hours later, following ceasefire violations, Indian officials had not yet voiced readiness for talks. US president Donald Trump made a post on social media about the ceasefire soon after it came into effect, prior to the official announcements by the Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers. 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, UN, and China. Thanking the heads of India and Pakistan, President Trump vowed to enhance trade "substantially" with both nations. Following the agreement, Pakistan reopened its airspace to commercial flights. Military hotlines between the two states were activated.

On May 10th, minutes after the ceasefire announcement, loud explosions were heard and projectiles were seen in the sky over the cities of Srinagar and Jammu in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. Late on 10 May, Misri stated that there had been violations of the ceasefire agreement, citing cross-border firing and sightings of Pakistani drones over Srinagar and Punjab, and called on Pakistani authorities to "address the violations". Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also reported explosions in Srinagar, expressing concern over the apparent collapse of the ceasefire. Pakistani Information Minister Atta Tarar denied Indian claims that Pakistan had violated the ceasefire, calling reports by the Indian media as "baseless". Pakistan later also accused India of committing ceasefire violations in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. By 11 May, reports suggested that "serious violations" of the truce had ceased, and that the situation had stabilized in many cities on the Indian side of the LoC. Businesses reopened in Srinagar as calm returned. In India, Gujarat Minister of State Harsh Sanghavi announced that a blackout would be implemented in the Kutch district after drones were spotted in the sky. In Pakistan, civilians in Peshawar heard anti-aircraft gunfire after drones were spotted in the sky. Indian media claimed that "suspected Pakistani drones" were detected and engaged in the Samba district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. Blackouts were imposed in several border towns including Amritsar as a precautionary measure. After midnight, the Indian Army said, "no drone activity has been detected recently, and the ceasefire situation prevails."

 SOURCE FOR ALL: WIKIPEDIA