April 22 – Terror Attack Sparks Crisis
Location: Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir
Incident: 26 tourists, including a Nepali citizen, were killed in a brutal terror attack carried out by militants linked to the Resistance Front, a Lashkar-e-Taiba offshoot.
Response: Tensions surge; global leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, condemn the attack.
April 23 – Diplomatic Fallout
India: Downgrades diplomatic ties, suspends the Indus Waters Treaty, and shuts the Attari-Wagah border.
Pakistan: Issues warning that any military retaliation would be deemed an act of war.
April 24–25 – Rising Hostility
Both Nations: Cancel visas, evacuate citizens, and sever trade links.
Pakistan: Closes airspace to Indian aircraft and suspends the Simla Agreement.
UN and US: Urge both nations to de-escalate.
April 30 – Countdown to Strikes
Pakistan: Continues nightly ceasefire violations.
Claim: Pakistan’s government alleges India is preparing for a military operation within 36 hours.
May 1 – US Involvement Deepens
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacts Indian and Pakistani leadership.
India: Communicates clear intent to strike terror infrastructure in Pakistan.
May 3 – Strategic Posturing
Pakistan: Test-fires a ballistic missile.
India: Imposes maritime restrictions on Pakistani vessels and cuts all sea-based trade.
May 6-7 Midnight – Operation Sindoor starts
May 7, 12:00 AM IST – India launches ‘Operation Sindoor’, targeting 9 terror camps linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, and Hizbul Mujahideen in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK).
India: Announces more than 150 terrorists eliminated in the precision strikes.
Message to Pakistan: Indian DGMO informs Pakistani counterpart – further retaliation will invite harsher responses.
May 8 – Pakistan Retaliates
And Launches drone strikes targeting Amritsar, Jammu, Srinagar, and other Indian locations.
India: Strikes back, destroying Pakistan’s HQ-9 air defense system and targeting cities including Lahore and Islamabad.
May 9 – Crisis Peaks
Back-channel talks: US holds high-level calls with both nations.
Public impact: Civilian life disrupted in both countries; cricket leagues suspended; missile alerts reported across India.
May 10 – Ceasefire Efforts
Morning: India hits major Pakistani air bases (Murid, Rafiqui, Sargodha) and Rawalpindi.
Afternoon: After back-channel efforts, India and Pakistan DGMOs agree to halt hostilities at 3:35 PM.
Official confirmation: At 5:30 PM IST, India announces an understanding to cease military action.
Ceasefire Violation: At around 8:00 PM, Pakistan violates the agreement using drones; India neutralizes all aerial threats.
May 11 – De-escalation
Status: Minor cross-border shelling early morning; India demands explanation via DGMO hotline.
Night: No further hostilities reported; tensions begin to ease.
May 12 – Fragile Calm
Standoff Status: No strikes or drone activity recorded for the first time since the conflict began.
Military Readiness: Indian forces remain alert, with diplomatic channels cautiously optimistic.
May 13 – PM Modi in Adampur Airbase
Surprise Visit: Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a surprise visit to Punjab’s Adampur airbase, demolishing Pakistan’s disinformation campaign in one stroke.
Debunks Pakistan Misinformation: It showed PM Modi waving at the jawans, with a MiG-29 jet and an intact S-400 air defence system clearly visible in the background.
The Messaging: The messaging was two-fold. It not only debunked Pakistan’s claim that missiles from its JF-17 fighter jet destroyed the S-400 air defence system in Adampur, but also indicated PM Modi’s unflinching commitment to national security.
Major Points
Start (Trigger): April 22 – Pahalgam terror attack kills 26.
Operation Sindoor Begins: May 7, 12:00 AM – India’s cross-border strikes on terror camps.
Ceasefire Agreement: May 10, 3:35 PM – DGMOs agree to halt military action; publicly confirmed at 5:30 PM.
Ceasefire Breach: May 10, 8:00 PM – Pakistan launches drone attack; India responds.
Team BharatShakti
Dr Ravi Shankar has over two decades of experience in communications, print journalism, electronic media, documentary film making and new media.
He makes regular appearances on national television news channels as a commentator and analyst on current and political affairs. Apart from being an acknowledged Journalist, he has been a passionate newsroom manager bringing a wide range of journalistic experience from past associations with India’s leading media conglomerates (Times of India group and India Today group) and had led global news-gathering operations at world’s biggest multimedia news agency- ANI-Reuters. He has covered Parliament extensively over the past several years. Widely traveled, he has covered several summits as part of media delegation accompanying the Indian President, Vice President, Prime Minister, External Affairs Minister and Finance Minister across Asia, Africa and Europe.
