International Perspective: India is exercising "Right to Respond" through Operation Sindoor

 

In every heart of Indians, there is only one word "operation sindhoor".

What is Operation Sindhoor?

Operation Sindoor is a military operation launched by India on May 7, 2025, targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The operation was a response to the Pahalgam attack on April 22, 2025, where militants killed 26 civilians, including Hindu tourists, in Indian-administered Kashmir.

This operation aimed to dismantle terror camps and infrastructure linked to groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. Indian Air Force's Rafale jets conducted precision strikes using SCALP missiles and AASM Hammer bombs. The 23-minute operation targeted nine locations, including Bahawalpur, Muridke, Tehra Kalan, Sialkot, Bhimber, Kotli, and Muzaffarabad. 

Aftermath and Ceasefire

Following the strikes, Pakistan claimed to have shot down five Indian aircraft, while India reported downing a Pakistani JF-17 jet. The escalation led to cross-border shelling, resulting in civilian casualties. A U.S.-brokered  ceasefire was announced on May 10, 2025, with both nations claiming victory. 

Despite this, ceasefire violations are seen, and the calm has not returned yet

UN Charter – Article 51:

"Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations..."

India's Position:

Triggering event: The Pahalgam attack on April 22, 2025, where 26 civilians were killed (including Hindu pilgrims), was treated by India as an "armed attack" from terrorist groups operating from Pakistan-administered territory.

•  India claimed that the state of Pakistan has met the threshold for an armed attack justifying a proportionate use of force in self-defense.

Precedents

9/11: After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the United States invoked Article 51 of the UN Charter to justify military action against al-Qaeda and the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. The UN Security Council, while not authorizing the use of force explicitly, recognized the right of the U.S. to self-defense in Resolutions 1368 and 1373. This was a landmark moment, as it effectively expanded the interpretation of Article 51 to include self-defense against non-state actors operating from within another state's territory—provided that state was unwilling or unable to prevent such threats. India, in "Operation Sindoor," similarly argues that Pakistan failed to prevent terrorist groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed from launching attacks from its soil, thereby making a 9/11-style justification plausible under international law.

Balakot Airstrike: In 2019, following the Pulwama terror attack that killed 40 Indian paramilitary personnel, India conducted an airstrike in Balakot (inside Pakistan), targeting what it claimed was a JeM training camp. India justified the strike as a "preemptive, non-military" action in self-defense against imminent threats. Although the legality was debated, the act was not widely condemned internationally—many countries acknowledged India's right to respond to terrorism. The 2025 "Operation Sindoor" follows the same doctrinal logic, but with even clearer provocation in the form of the Pahalgam civilian massacre.