India carried out Operation Sindoor on May 7, 2025 in a dramatic, as well as unexpected, manner, hitting the terrorist infrastructure at nine targeted sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) from where the April 22 terrorist attacks in Pahalgam were planned and directed. US President Donald John Trump, too, announced the end of intense fighting between the two South Asian neighbours on May 10 in an equally dramatic manner.

Although New Delhi and Islamabad confirmed on May 10, 2025 that they reached a ceasefire agreement following a brief period of hostilities over the past few days, explosions and gunfire were heard from multiple places in India-administered-Kashmir on the night of May 10. Both sides claimed to have intercepted most projectiles, and also admitted that some strikes caused damage. Drones were spotted in the skies of multiple places in the Indian Provinces of Kashmir, Rajasthan, Punjab and Gujarat.

Later, the Indian Defence Ministry assured that there was nothing to panic about as the Indian Armed Forces were shooting down the Pakistani drones. The ministry claimed that the situation was under control, admitting that Sub Inspector Mohammed Imtiaz of India’s Border Security Force (BSF) lost his life in the line of duty during shelling by Pakistan in RS Pura Sector of Jammu at around 8:30-8:45pm (local time).

New Delhi was not sure whether Pakistani Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah refused to accept the ceasefire or whether the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists still wanted to continue fighting. Speaking at a press conference at 11pm, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri stressed: “For the last few hours, there have been repeated violations of the understanding reached earlier this evening between the Directors General of Military Operations of India and Pakistan. This is a breach of the understanding arrived at earlier today. The Armed Forces are giving an adequate and appropriate response to these violations and we take very very serious note of these violations.”

On the other hand, a senior spokesperson of the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Islamabad remained committed to implementing the deal, “notwithstanding the violations being committed by India in some areas“. He also said that troops on the ground should “exercise restraint“.

Terror Attacks To Be Considered As An ‘Act Of War’

Meanwhile, the Narendra Modi Administration in New Delhi has made it clear that India would consider terrorist attacks on its soil by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists as an act of war. On May 10, Indian Minister of External Affairs Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar stated: “India has consistently maintained a firm and uncompromising stance against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. It will continue to do so.“

According to sources close to the External Affairs Ministry, India would respond with a direct military strike without any negotiations, if any Pakistan-backed terrorist organisations launch attacks in India in the future. Indian intelligence agencies have informed the Modi Government that there could be another terrorist attack in the country in the coming days. According to Indian intelligence agencies, Islamabad is planning to launch a counterattack with the help of terrorists as the Pakistani Armed Forces lag behind India in direct combat. Hence, New Delhi has amended its policy (to counter terrorism) in order to prevent such attacks.

At the same time, India has hinted that if Pakistan fails to control its home-grown terrorists, then it would have to suffer the consequences. The Indian Army, too, has announced that it is committed to giving a befitting reply to any misadventure by Pakistan.

Baloch Rebels Declare Independence

The Baloch rebels have stepped up their offensive against the Pakistani Armed Forces, apart from hoisting their own flags, replacing the Pakistani ones, in different places of Balochistan (Province of Pakistan). Reports suggest that the rebels declared Independence on May 9, 2025, claiming that they wanted to be recognised as an Independent Nation, with a diplomatic mission in India.

On X, Baloch author Mir Yar Baloch wrote: “Baloch people have started hoisting their own flags and taking down Pakistani flags. Time for the world to pull back their diplomatic missions from Pakistan and shift them into the newly emerging country of Balochistan. Farewell to Pakistan, welcome to Balochistan.“

Since India carried out Operation Sindoor to destroy bases of terrorist outfits in the neighbouring country on May 7 (2025), the pro-independence Baloch groups have intensified attacks on the Pakistani Armed Forces and their assets swept across the province. As expected, fierce attacks by the Baloch rebels have shaken the Pakistani State. On May 9, the rebels attacked a camp of the Pakistani Army in the Faizabad area of the provincial capital of Quetta. They also targeted Army personnel with hand grenades at a military camp in Sibbi.

The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), leading the liberation struggle for the past few decades, have taken advantage of the ongoing conflict between Pakistan and India to destabilise establishments in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. It may be noted that the BLA had stunned Pakistan by hijacking the Jaffar Express, a passenger train travelling from Quetta to Peshawar with at least 380 passengers onboard, on March 11 (2025). As India has historically had good relations with the Baloch nationalists, Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Indian intelligence agencies of backing the Baloch separatist groups. The Baloch community receives support from Iran, too.

Defence analysts are of the opinion that the internal uprising compounds Pakistan’s mounting crisis. It has become increasingly difficult for Pakistan, which is already faced with simultaneous military pressure from India in the east, to tackle the Baloch fighters in the west. Furthermore, the Taliban fighters have also started exchanging fires with the Pakistani Army along the Pak-Afghan border, triggering a deeper crisis for Islamabad.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das