Operation Sindoor - Justice served to Pakistan after Pahalgam terror attack: Here is a brief timeline of developments from Pahalgam terror attack to Operation Sindoor, Indian armed forces' attack targetting terror launchpads to avenge the Kashmir attack.

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April 22, 2025: The Pahalgam terror attack 

At approximately 14:50 IST, five terrorists including some from Pakistan attack Indian tourists in Baisaran Valley, Pahalgam, Anantnag district, killing 26 , mainly Hindu tourists, along with one Nepali tourist and one local Kashmiri pony rider. The attackers use M4 carbines and AK-47s, killing the victims after asking their religion. This is the deadliest attack targeting civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claims responsibility, citing opposition to Indian policies.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi cuts short his visit to Saudi Arabia, returns to India, and chairs a Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting with top ministers and officials.
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Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri briefs senior diplomats on the attack. India says Pakistan-based terrorists are behind the attack, with evidence and intelligence intercepts pointing to operatives in Muzaffarabad and Karachi.
WATCH VIDEO: 'Focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature': Indian govt on 'Operation Sindoor' in Pakistan
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses condolences without condeming the attack.
US President Donald Trump speaks with PM Modi, expressing solidarity even as global condemnation begins.

The attack happened days after Indian intelligence agencies flagged potential terrorist attacks targeting tourists near Srinagar, particularly in the Zabarwan range foothills. Security forces had increased patrolling in areas like Dachigam and Nishat.

April 23, 2025: India announces slew of diplomatic measures against Pakistan

 

India announces diplomatic measures against Pakistan, which include suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (1960), closure of the Attari-Wagah border, and cancellation of SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme for Pakistani nationals. Those on such visas are given 48 hours to leave India. India also declares Pakistani military diplomats as persona non grata, and reduces Pakistan’s High Commission staff in New Delhi from 55 to 30.

Home Minister Amit Shah arrives in Srinagar, holds a high-level security meeting.
Pakistan responds by canceling visas for Indian nationals, suspending trade, and closing its airspace to Indian airlines.

International leaders condemn the attack.

April 24, 2025: All-party meeting - Indian political leadership joins hands against terror attack, across party lines


An all-party meeting in Parliament observes a two-minute silence for Pahalgam victims and resolves to fight terrorism.

Indian Army, paramilitary forces, and Jammu and Kashmir Police launch a joint cordon, combing and search operation for the terrorists. Pahalgam locked down, and helicopters track the terrorists fleeing to the Pir Panjal range.

An Indian soldier is killed, and two wounded in a gunfight in Basantgarh, Udhampur.
Jammu and Kashmir Police announce a ₹6,000,000 reward for information on three suspected terrorists: Adil Hussain Thoker (Anantnag resident), Ali Bhai, and Hashim Musa (both Pakistani nationals and LeT members).
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif calls the attack a “false flag operation.” 
Pakistan implements retaliatory diplomatic measures, including blocking the Wagah border.
Protests erupt outside Pakistan’s High Commission in London by the Indian diaspora, denouncing the attack.

April 25, 2025: PM Modi vows strongest response

Indian PM Modi vows that those responsible for the terror attack will face “unimaginable consequences” and will be chased to the end of Earth.
Security forces demolish properties in Kupwara linked to suspected terrorists, including Farooq Ahmad Tedwa and Miskeen Ahmad Tedwa, operating from Pakistan.

April 26, 2025: National Investigation Agency (NIA) registers a new First Information Report (FIR)

NIA's Counter Terrorism and Counter Radicalisation (CTCR) division takes over the investigation from Jammu and Kashmir Police.
India suspends all postal services from Pakistan and bans Pakistani-flagged ships from Indian ports.
Pakistan test-fires its Abdali ballistic missile (450 km range).

Indian diaspora protests in London continue, with tensions rising after a Pakistani diplomat’s threatening gesture towards them.

April 27, 2025: NIA links LeT and ISI to the attack



NIA finds links to LeT and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Security forces demolish homes of alleged militants’ families in Kashmir and detain more than 1,500 people for questioning.
Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif proposes a “neutral, transparent, and credible” probe into the attack, dismissing India’s allegations as “baseless”.

April 28, 2025: Kashmir Assembly resolution

The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly passes a resolution condemning the Pahalgam attack and vows to defeat terrorism.
India bans 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for spreading provocative content.
Pakistani troops begin ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch, Naushera, and Akhnoor, prompting Indian retaliation.

April 29, 2025: ISI  links revealed - Pakistani terrorist was an ex-commando

NIA investigations reveal that Hashim Musa, the Pakistani terrorist involved in the attack, is a former para-commando of Pakistan’s Special Forces, who was loaned to LeT by ISI.
PM Modi gives the armed forces “complete freedom” to decide the mode, targets, and timing of retaliation after a security meeting.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar warns of a potential Indian attack within 24–36 hours

April 30, 2025: India bans Pakistani airlines from its airspace

India bans Pakistani airlines, in reciprocation for Pakistan’s closure of its airspace to commerical airlines.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visits victims’ families, urging national unity.
PM Modi chairs cabinet meetings to review the security situation.
Pakistan begins stranded citizens to return via the Wagah border after India’s visa revocations.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar and Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif, urging de-escalation as well as cooperation in investigating the attack. In Islamabad, US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker meets Pakistan’s Deputy PM Ishaq Dar to discuss de-escalation.

May 1, 2025: India bans imports from Pakistan

India imposes a comprehensive ban on all imports from Pakistan, citing national security.
NIA reports that the attackers Hashim Musa and Ali Bhai had been communicating with Pakistani handlers.
BSF apprehends a Pakistani Ranger along the Rajasthan border.
Pakistani troops continue ceasefire violations along the LoC for the eighth consecutive night.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth expresses “strong support” for India’s right to defend itself.
Instagram blocks accounts of Pakistani celebrities and cricketers in India following a “legal request.”

May 2, 2025: NIA’s preliminary report on Pahalgam attack

NIA report details the attack’s planning at LeT’s Pakistan headquarters, with ISI directives. CCTV footage and eyewitness testimonies reconstruct the attackers’ movements.

India blocks Instagram accounts of Pakistani actors and cricketers
Pakistan closes Karachi and Lahore airspace daily in the morning for security reasons.
Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong meets Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif, calling for restraint.

May 3, 2025: Indian Navy conducts Arabian Sea drills

India Navy conducts drills in the Arabian Sea.
Pakistani troops resort to unprovoked firing across the LoC again.
Indian diaspora protests in cities like Milan condemn the attack

May 4, 2025: Attackers had more terror plans


Intelligence report says the attackers scouted four sites - Baisaran, Aru, Betaab Valleys, and an amusement park - from April 15, choosing Baisaran due to thinner security.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warns that any Indian structure on the Indus River violating the suspended treaty would be struck.
The UN Security Council holds closed-door consultations, admonishing Pakistani diplomats for the 'false flag' claims.

May 5–6, 2025: Ceasefire Violations by Pakistan

Pakistani troops fire across the LoC for the 12th consecutive night in multiple sectors, Indian Army responds.
The Indian Air Force plans major exercise from May 7–15 over Rajasthan, involving Rafale, Mirage 2000, and Sukhoi-30 aircraft.
The Indian government issues  advisory for civil defence preparedness drills.

May 7, 2025: Operation Sindoor - India strikes back

At around 2 am on May 7, India launches Operation Sindoor, targetting terror launchpads in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.