On May 7, 2025, India unveiled the darkest face of state terrorism through “Operation Sindoor,” a brazen act of aggression that targeted not soldiers on the battlefield but civilians in their homes. The missile strikes on Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were not accidents of war but deliberate attacks on defenseless communities.

“These were not military operations, they were cowardly acts of collective punishment against a nation.”

Sixty-five civilians, including women, children, and the elderly, were martyred, while over 240 were injured. Pakistan’s armed forces, too, suffered precious losses, seven soldiers of the Pakistan Army and six officers of the Pakistan Air Force laid down their lives, while 78 others were wounded. The most haunting images are of devastated families, breadwinners taken from their households, and children suddenly orphaned. These were not military operations; they were cowardly acts of collective punishment against a nation.

The precision of the strikes betrays their intent. Muzaffarabad, Bahawalpur, Sahiwal, and Kotli were not combat zones; they were civilian centers. Punjab alone saw 30 martyred and 68 injured. In Sindh, a single strike claimed one life and wounded 11. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, two were killed. But it was Azad Jammu & Kashmir that bore the heaviest toll, with 32 martyrs and 164 injured.

These numbers do not merely tell a story of loss, they reveal the cold calculation behind India’s targeting of non-military populations. The Geneva Conventions explicitly prohibit attacks on civilian areas, yet India crossed this line with impunity. What makes it even more reprehensible is the silence of the so-called guardians of international order. When international law is trampled upon so blatantly and global institutions look the other way, justice becomes a hollow concept.

The human cost cannot be reduced to statistics. Behind each number lies a tragedy. In Punjab, entire families were torn apart; children woke up in hospitals with no parents to comfort them. In AJK, elderly men and women, already living with the scars of conflict, were dragged into fresh trauma.

“The Geneva Conventions explicitly prohibit attacks on civilian areas, yet India crossed this line with impunity.”

In Sindh, young men who were the sole providers of their families were killed, leaving dependents at the mercy of poverty. India’s missiles did not just destroy homes; they created generational wounds. This is a strategy of terror, where the aim is to break the morale of a population by striking at its most vulnerable. It reflects not courage but cowardice, a reliance on killing the defenseless rather than confronting the armed forces of Pakistan in fair combat.

The sacrifice of Pakistan’s soldiers and airmen adds another layer of gravity to this tragedy. Their martyrdom underscores that this was not a random act but an escalation of hostility designed to provoke Pakistan into broader conflict. Pakistan has shown restraint, choosing not to descend into the abyss of uncontrolled escalation. This restraint should not be mistaken for weakness. Rather, it reflects a mature state seeking peace even while absorbing unprovoked aggression. However, peace cannot survive on Pakistan’s shoulders alone. When one side systematically violates norms and commits war crimes, silence from the world amounts to complicity.

India’s apologists may attempt to justify these strikes under the rhetoric of “counterterrorism” or “preemptive defense.” But the world must confront the truth, targeting civilians, orphaning children, and bombing homes is not defense, it is barbarism. No democracy can claim legitimacy while employing such methods. By choosing the path of aggression, India has jeopardized not only regional peace but also its own claim to moral standing in the international community.

The international community’s response, or lack thereof, will set a dangerous precedent. If the murder of innocents can be brushed aside in the name of geopolitics, then the rules-based order is nothing but a farce. Pakistan’s demand is simple: accountability. The perpetrators of Operation Sindoor must face international scrutiny, and India must be compelled to answer for its crimes.

“Pakistan has shown restraint, choosing not to descend into the abyss of uncontrolled escalation.”

Women, children, and the elderly killed in cold blood deserve more than silence; they deserve justice. Unless the world acts, India will be emboldened to repeat such atrocities, plunging South Asia deeper into instability. Operation Sindoor is not just an attack on Pakistan, it is an attack on the very principles of humanity. The world must decide whether to uphold those principles or bury them under the rubble of Muzaffarabad, Bahawalpur, and Kotli.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.