In a dramatic escalation of cross-border tensions between two nuclear-armed neighbours, India on Tuesday, May 7, 2025, launched what it termed a precision military operation inside Pakistani territory, striking multiple locations across Bahawalpur, Kotli, and Muzaffarabad. One of the missiles, however, landed on the Subhanullah Mosque in Bahawalpur, causing widespread devastation and civilian casualties.
The offensive, codenamed Operation Sindoor by the Indian government, was described by New Delhi as a “preemptive strike” against what it called “terror infrastructure” allegedly linked to the recent deadly militant attack in Pahalgam, a popular town in India-administered Kashmir. Authorities in India claim the Pahalgam assault was orchestrated by groups operating from across the border in Pakistan, citing intelligence reports and satellite imagery purportedly showing militant facilities tucked away in remote areas of Pakistan’s Punjab and Azad Kashmir regions.
Pakistan, however, flatly denied these allegations and condemned the strikes as an unprovoked act of aggression, labelling them a gross violation of international law and Pakistan’s sovereignty. The Pakistani Foreign Ministry reported that the missile that struck the Subhanullah Mosque claimed the lives of six civilians, including a child, and left more than a dozen others seriously injured during afternoon prayers. The impact of the blast was severe, leveling much of the mosque and damaging adjacent residential buildings. Scenes of chaos followed, as local residents and emergency responders sifted through rubble in search of survivors.
Eyewitnesses at the site spoke of confusion and horror as the roof of the mosque caved in suddenly. “It was a regular day,” said one local man, “and in the blink of an eye, people were running, bleeding, and screaming amid the dust and flames.” Pakistan’s military released images and drone footage showing the flattened mosque and surrounding destruction, arguing that there was no evidence of any militant presence in the vicinity.
India, on its part, maintained that it had acted with precision, sharing high-resolution satellite images allegedly indicating structures used by extremist groups. However, critics, both domestically and abroad, raised concerns about the accuracy and legality of such intelligence-based strikes, particularly when civilian lives are involved.
The international community responded with urgent appeals for restraint. The United Nations called for a de-escalation of hostilities and urged both sides to return to diplomatic dialogue. The United States, China, and the European Union similarly stressed the importance of avoiding further military engagement, especially in a region with a volatile history of armed conflict and nuclear tension.
The Pakistani Prime Minister, in a national address, vowed that the country “will not remain silent in the face of such brutality,” further raising concerns of a possible retaliatory move. Troops on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) have been placed on high alert, with initial reports suggesting minor skirmishes and artillery exchanges in the hours following the missile strikes.
This latest confrontation marks the most intense military clash between India and Pakistan since the February 2019 Balakot airstrikes and subsequent aerial dogfights. The decades-old Kashmir dispute, rooted in the partition of British India in 1947, has remained the central trigger for hostilities between the two neighbours, having led to three full-scale wars and numerous border flare-ups.
Geopolitical analysts warn that the situation is at a critical juncture, with any miscalculation capable of spiraling into a wider conflict. As diplomatic channels scramble to contain the fallout, the fate of civilians caught in the crossfire once again highlights the tragic cost of unresolved hostilities in South Asia .
