Here we go again. Two nuclear-armed neighbours, one disputed region, and yet another burst of airstrikes to keep the cycle alive. This time, it’s called Operation Sindoor—a fresh salvo from India targeting areas inside Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Delhi says it’s retaliation for a brutal militant attack that killed civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir. Pakistan calls it an act of unprovoked aggression. Same script, new headline.
A horrific attack on unarmed tourists in a picturesque corner of Indian-administered Kashmir set this all off. It struck a nerve. Delhi promised vengeance, and two weeks later, jets were in the sky. India says it’s going after terror infrastructure—deliberate, limited, not a full-blown war. Pakistan says civilians were hit and retaliated in kind, even claiming to have taken down Indian aircraft. We’re deep into the fog of war spin cycle now.
Kashmir is the tragic third wheel in the partition of British India. In 1947, the region was awkwardly bolted onto India despite being Muslim-majority. Pakistan’s never accepted that. Cue wars, insurgencies, and decades of shadow conflict. The Line of Control slices the region in two, but doesn’t settle anything. It’s a ceasefire line dressed up as a border.
Since the late ’80s, Kashmir has seen armed resistance, with militants targeting both Indian forces and civilians. India says Pakistan fuels this with money, guns, and safe havens. Pakistan insists it’s just offering moral support to a freedom struggle. The truth is murkier, muddied by blood and propaganda on both sides.
This isn’t the first time India has struck back with military force. After the 2016 Uri attack, India sent troops across the LoC in what it called surgical strikes. In 2019, the Pulwama bombing—killing 40 Indian soldiers—led to air raids deep inside Pakistan. There was even a dogfight and an Indian pilot captured. War didn’t break out, but it came uncomfortably close.
Operation Sindoor fits the same mould: a grim rhythm of atrocity and reprisal. This isn’t strategy. It’s theatre. Both governments play to domestic audiences while civilians on both sides duck for cover.
Let’s not forget: these are two countries with nukes and unfinished business. Every round of violence raises the stakes. World leaders wring their hands and issue platitudes about restraint. But the root causes—disputed borders, national identity, unresolved trauma—remain untouched.
Kashmir remains stuck—caught between nationalist fervour, militant violence, and political posturing. The only constants are the human cost and the international apathy. India talks about surgical precision. Pakistan talks about sovereignty. But no one talks about the Kashmiris themselves—those who live with curfews, checkpoints, internet shutdowns, and the constant fear that the next explosion might be near their home.