Rai Ijaz Ahmad

Pakistan has been under attack since May 7. In a region where blame becomes policy and retaliation replaces restraint, borders bleed and diplomacy dies. On April 22, 2025, a tragic terrorist attack occurred in Pahalgam, a scenic valley in Indian-occupied Kashmir. Four assailants opened fire on a group of tourists, killing 26 innocent people. Indian officials immediately blamed Pakistan, specifically accusing the Pakistan-based Islamic organization Lashkar-e-Taiba of orchestrating the massacre.

In response, Pakistan categorically denied the allegations and called for an independent, neutral investigation. However, New Delhi, driven by domestic pressure and public outrage, vowed to avenge the incident. Just after midnight on May 7, between 1:00 and 2:00 a.m., India launched missile strikes targeting nine locations inside Pakistan. Following the attacks, the Indian Ministry of Defence issued a press release describing the operation as “Operation Sindoor,” claiming it had delivered justice and only targeted terrorist infrastructure. However, according to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Pakistan’s military media wing, the strikes killed 31 civilians and injured 57 others. No military sites were reportedly hit.

In swift retaliation, Pakistan’s armed forces engaged Indian fighter jets and successfully shot down five aircraft, including three of India’s most advanced fighters, “Rafael.” But the confrontation didn’t end there. On May 8th, India escalated further by launching drone attacks across multiple Pakistani territories. According to ISPR, Pakistan intercepted and destroyed 25 Israeli-origin Harop drones, utilising both “soft-kill” (electronic countermeasures) and “hard-kill” (direct fire) tactics to neutralise the threat effectively.

Now, both sides are shifting the blame, with each insisting that the other must take the first step toward de-escalation. The Prime Minister of Pakistan offered to reduce hostilities if India halts its aggression, while New Delhi responded by placing responsibility on Islamabad to ease tensions. Two nuclear powers attacking each other is not just an alarming development—it is an extraordinary event with potentially catastrophic consequences. As a former Prime Minister of Pakistan once said at the United Nations General Assembly, “When two nuclear powers fight, it has consequences far beyond the borders.” In the case of India and Pakistan, nearly 1.5 billion lives hang in the balance due to escalating aggression, diplomatic breakdown, and deep-seated mistrust.

Although India and Pakistan have clashed multiple times in the past, a full-scale war has never broken out – yet. Neither side has truly experienced what modern war can bring. Ask the people of Iraq, Ukraine, or Gaza what war means. War is not just about borders or military targets – it destroys economies, displaces families, shatters societies, and extinguishes joy from everyday life. According to the Global Policy Forum, over 4.5 million Iraqis have been displaced since the U.S. invasion, and millions have perished. In Ukraine, more than 58,000 lives have been lost in just a few years.

Cutting the long story short, war is not just about loss of military might—it is the destruction of economies, societies, and the soul of nations. That is why the post–Cold War international order and institutions like the United Nations must not remain passive. They must act immediately to mediate this escalating crisis and prevent a catastrophic standoff between two nuclear-armed neighbors.

Because—ALL LIVES MATTER.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official stance of The Himalayan Research Institute Pakistan - (THRIP)

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Rai Ijaz Ahmad is student of  International Relations at University of Central Punjab, Lahore.