The Indian military aggression on May 7, 2025, marked by targeted strikes on nine civilian and religious sites inside Pakistan, represents a direct and illegal act of war. Carried out under the false pretext of the April 22 Pahalgam incident in Indian-occupied Kashmir, this unprovoked assault constitutes a grave breach of international peace, human rights, and the foundational principles of international law, including the UN Charter, the Geneva Conventions, customary international law, and bilateral treaties like the Indus Waters Treaty.

India’s aggression reflects a dangerous Hindutva-driven doctrine aimed at destabilizing a sovereign Islamic republic.

This is not an isolated act. India’s aggression reflects a dangerous Hindutva-driven doctrine that has consistently sought to destabilize Pakistan, a sovereign, nuclear-armed, and peace-seeking Islamic republic, by violating international borders, sponsoring terrorism, and weaponizing water resources.

India’s May 7 aggression must be seen in the light of a sustained campaign of destabilization and covert warfare against Pakistan:

• 1971 War: India’s support for the secession of East Pakistan was a textbook violation of the principle of non-intervention under Article 2(4) of the UN Charter.
• 1999 Kargil Conflict: Misuse of military operations under false narratives of security.
• Surgical Strike Claims (2016, 2019): False propaganda-based military threats used for domestic political mileage.
• Kulbhushan Jadhav Case: A serving Indian Navy officer, arrested in 2016, who openly confessed to orchestrating espionage and terrorist attacks inside Pakistan — a clear breach of international law prohibiting state-sponsored terrorism, including UN General Assembly Resolution 49/60, and ICJ’s advisory jurisprudence on the use of force and non-intervention.

Support to Terror Groups in Balochistan and former FATA: Documented in dossiers submitted to the UN and international forums, India’s role in funding and arming non-state actors is an open violation of UNSC Resolutions 1373 and 1566, which prohibit terrorism and financing of armed groups.

Bombing mosques and civilian homes is classified as a war crime under the Geneva Conventions.

India’s consistent behavior shows it has institutionalized terrorism as a foreign policy tool, especially against Pakistan, violating the UN Charter, international humanitarian law, and even India’s international obligations under the ICJ judgment in the Kulbhushan case.

Recent military strike represents direct breaches of ;

• The UN Charter Article 2(4) – Prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of another state.
• Article 51 – Provides the right of individual or collective self-defence in the face of armed attack. Pakistan’s response is fully legal and protected under this article.
• Geneva Conventions (Additional Protocol I) – Especially Articles 51, 52, and 53, which protect civilians, civil infrastructure, and religious sites. Bombing mosques and civilian homes is classified as a war crime.
• Customary International Law – Reaffirmed in ICJ rulings including Nicaragua v. United States (1986), allowing the right of self-defence in response to armed incursions and systematic destabilization.

India has also aggressively pursued hydro-hegemony by threatening to divert Pakistan’s water flows, in violation of the Indus Waters Treaty (1960): Violates Articles 3, 4, and 7 of the treaty. Violates the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969), which obligates signatories to act in good faith (pacta sunt servanda). Weaponizing water in armed conflict violates international humanitarian law and the Environmental Modification Convention (ENMOD) of 1977. This form of water terrorism threatens millions of lives and agriculture-dependent economies, amounting to environmental warfare, which is prosecutable under international law.

India’s illegal action also presents an opportunity for Pakistan to internationalize the Kashmir dispute, especially in light of ongoing atrocities, demographic engineering, and extrajudicial killings in Indian-occupied Jammu & Kashmir. Reassert the relevance of UN Security Council Resolutions 47, 51, 80, and 91, which call for a plebiscite to determine the will of the Kashmiri people. Highlight India’s human rights violations, documented by UN OHCHR reports and international NGOs, including enforced disappearances, rape, illegal detentions, and suppression of freedom of religion and expression. Raising the Kashmir issue is no longer a matter of politics; it is a legal obligation and a moral duty.

Weaponizing water flows amounts to environmental warfare and violates the Indus Waters Treaty and ENMOD Convention.

Pakistan now has a strong, well-founded case to mobilize global legal and diplomatic forums:

• Formally invoke Article 51 of the UN Charter, notifying the UN Security Council of the armed attack and Pakistan’s lawful right to self-defence.
• Initiate an emergency session under the Uniting for Peace Resolution at the UN General Assembly if the Security Council is blocked by veto politics.
• Refer India’s actions to the ICC for war crimes and to the ICJ for treaty violations under the Indus Waters Treaty and violations of the Vienna Convention.
• Mobilize allies, including the OIC, SCO, China, Türkiye, and others to condemn Indian aggression.
• Launch international media and legal campaigns, using clear documentation of war crimes, terrorism sponsorship, water terrorism, and Kashmir atrocities.
• Prepare and execute a proportionate military and strategic response under the principles of necessity and proportionality in international law.

The May 7, 2025 aggression is a culmination of India’s repeated violations of international law, humanitarian norms, bilateral treaties, and the moral conscience of the global order. Pakistan stands on the right side of international law. It has the legal, diplomatic, and moral grounds to defend its territory, its people, and its principles. From the UN Charter’s Article 51, to ICJ precedent, to treaty law, Pakistan’s right of self-defence is absolute and must now be activated decisively.

Raising the Kashmir issue is no longer a matter of politics; it is a legal obligation and a moral duty.

The international community must recognize that India’s actions are not only unlawful but dangerously destabilizing. Failure to act now will erode the credibility of the global legal order. It is time to support Pakistan’s right, not just to exist, but to defend itself, its sovereignty, and the regional peace that is threatened by Indian militarism and extremism.

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.