India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri addressed a press conference on Thursday (May 8) said that the escalation of the situation happened on April 22 when innocent lives were killed in Pahalgam terror attack. He named and shamed Pakistani ministers for their support to terrorism and terror groups in multiple TV interviews. Misri said that Pakistan's admission of terror speaks for itself and the neibouring country has proven its track-record in harbouring terrorists to the world via television interviews.

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Misri was referring to the interviews by Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. While Dar objected to mention of TRF in UNSC statetment, Bhutto admitted Pakistan has a past related to terrorism and Khawaja Asif confessed that his country is involved in "dirty things."

Misri also slammed Pakistan army chief Gen Asim Munir who described Kashmir as the "jugular vein" of his country and invoked the two-nation theory propounded by Pakistan’s founder, MA Jinnah in his speech on April 16. Col Sofiya Qureshi, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperso Randhir Jaiswal were also present in the briefing.

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Pakistan admits supporting terrorists

1. Former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has confessed about Pakistan's past "as far as extremist groups are concerned". What he essentially referred to is Islamabad's historical link with terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, etc. His admission comes after the country's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar echoed the same and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif inadvertently showed the country's support to the terror groups.

2. Dar admitted that Islamabad had an objection to the "condemnation of The Resistance Front (TRF)" in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) statement and they made sure that the reference to TRF was removed from the statement. This support of Islamabad for TRF - who claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam terror attack - came days after Pakistan said they had nothing to do with the attack.

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3. Moreover, Asif in conversation with Sky News's Yalda Hakim disclosed Pakistan's history of backing terrorist groups. He was asked, "But you do admit, you do admit, sir, that Pakistan has had a long history of backing and supporting and training and funding these terrorist organisations?" Khawaja Asif said that his country has been doing "this dirty work for the United States for about 3 decades... and the West, including Britain." Asif also said that his country had an active role in supporting the Mujahideen during the first Afghan war. "Pakistan went through wave after wave of extremism…we suffered," he said.

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Operation Sindoor 

The Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 at 1.05 AM to 1.30 AM. Briefing the country on Operation Sindoor on May 7, women officers Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri informed that India exercised its right to respond and hit nine terror targets, including terror camps and launchpads, in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). They said that India's actions were measured and non-escalatory, proportionate and responsible.

The Indian Defence Ministry in a press release informed that on the night of 07-08 May 2025, "Pakistan attempted to engage a number of military targets in northern and western India." It added that India remains committed to non-escalation but won't shy away from providing a suitable response to Pakistan. Using drones and missiles, Pakistani forces targeted several civilian areas in the region, including the cities of Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj.

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Pahalgam terror attack

A terror attack on April 22 in Baisaran Valley of Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam district killed 26 tourists. An offshoot of the banned Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) - The Resistance Front (TRF) - claimed responsibility for the attack.

After the attack, India launched a series of actions against Pakistan. The Indian government put into abeyance the Indus Waters Treaty, expelled its diplomats, called back Indian officials from Islamabad, and closed the Attari border, its airspace for Pakistani flights and ships, parcels and imports from Pakistan. New Delhi has also blocked the Instagram accounts of several Pakistani cricketers and celebrities.

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