Operation Sindoor: Understanding West Asia’s response

The brutal terrorist attack in Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on 22 April 2025, which claimed the lives of 26 innocent civilians and left many injured based on their Hindu religion, is the deepest red line that could only be avenged by ‘Operation Sindoor’,

That is precisely what India did by following the tit-for-tat policy so well enshrined in our scriptures ‘Shathe Shathyam Samacharet’. India decimated nine terror hideouts across Pakistan, killing over 100 terrorists.

PM Modi was on a state visit to Saudi Arabia and had to cut short the visit to take stock of these horrific developments. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, was the first one to condemn the terror attacks in no uncertain terms and expressed solidarity with India. Retaliation, escalation, and focused and targeted elimination of threats became an imperative as the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to identify, track, and punish every terrorist, and their backers, and said, “We will pursue them to the ends of the earth”. In his Mann Ki Baat, he reiterated, “I once again assure the victim families that they will get justice. Justice will be served. The perpetrators and conspirators of this attack will face the harshest response.” Escalate to deescalate through diplomatic and military strikes became the Indian strategy.

US Vice President J. D. Vance was also in India. Ironically and not coincidentally, terror attacks took place during the visit of President Clinton to convey the message that normalcy, as propounded by India in Kashmir, was not there. But such acts have not deterred India from holistically working for the welfare and the development of the Kashmiris. This is not acceptable to Pakistan. Hence, India’s resolve to provide a decisive response to the terrorists, who will be hunted and justice served. Their sponsors will be punished, which has caused deep concern among regional countries who would try to contain the military escalation. PM Modi clearly warned Pakistan that it cannot hide behind the terrorists and non-state actors as mere proxies and will be held accountable.

Shifting Ties

Adversity often becomes a litmus test for friendship. It is also not untrue of diplomacy. For decades, India’s relationship with most West Asian countries has been transactional and only during the last decade or so has it turned truly strategic. It is also due to the strategic and increasing importance of India and the realisation by the regional majors of the futility of the continuation of support to Pakistan directly and through the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) partnership, which uses terrorism as a tool of foreign policy against India and others. It has become a reality in action. Parroting the Islamic Brotherhood has run its course. Pakistan used to be a factor in their ties with India, which was often predicated on their Islamic connection with Islamabad. This change was evident during the terror attacks in Pulwama and India’s Balakot response, as well as at the time of abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

Several countries especially the regional majors like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, GCC, etc., were the first ones to condemn the heinous, dastardly and cowardly attacks by the Pak based terror group TRF (The Resistance Front) in Pahalgam which initially claimed responsibility and then tried to backtrack. But the footprints of Rawalpindi and LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba) are unmistakable. An exceptional diplomatic response has been given by way of punitive measures against the terror sponsor and perpetrating state. Of which the most important and far-reaching is holding the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance, which will define the contours of the relationship with Pakistan. India has once again taken up listing and designating TRF and LeT terrorists at the UNSC 1267 Committee, and as usual, China has put a technical hold on it.

Solidarity and Commitment

While expressing solidarity with India, they reaffirmed their commitment to the global fight against terrorism. Even the Taliban offered condolences and condemned the attacks against innocent Indian tourists who were targeted on account of their religion. Turkey and Azerbaijan became the poster child for support to Pakistan.

Several leaders, including Iranian President Dr. Pezeshkian, called Prime Minister Modi. After speaking with Pakistani PM Sharif, Dr. Pezeshkian also offered to mediate to de-escalate the situation. The presidents of the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, and Israel, as well as others, called PM Modi to express their solidarity. Several Foreign Ministers also spoke to Dr. Jaishankar, expressing their sympathy and condolences and resolve to fight the menace of terrorism while hoping to de-escalate the imminent war between India and Pakistan. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu was categorical in his unstinted support for India in her decision to deal with this menace as it deems appropriate.

Initially, even Turkey’s President Erdogan, during his press conference with Sharif (April 22-23), did not take the bait and avoided direct reference to Kashmir but condemned terrorism. However, their subsequent statements in favour of Pakistan and criticism of India for the strikes led to further deterioration in bilateral relations as the popular calls for ‘Boycott Turkey’ became vocal due to their blind support for Islamabad. The shady and shadowy presence of their Naval ships and aircraft, and the use of Turkish drones by Pakistani retaliatory strikes further accentuated the Indian ire against Erdogan, which is unlikely to improve in the near term.

Regional Stability

Iran and Saudi Arabia indulged in shuttle diplomacy following calls by various leaders from the region for de-escalation once India struck the terror hideouts in Pakistan. Pakistani leaders also reached out to many of these countries for intervention, but India completed the task in a resolute and decisive manner. Iranian Foreign Minister Dr. Araghchi, after his visit to Islamabad, dashed to Delhi and held a meeting with the External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, alongside the Joint Commission meeting, during which India conveyed its position with regard to ‘War on terror’ and response to the Pakistani retaliation in favour of terrorists. Iran welcomed the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan, viewing it as a significant step toward regional stability. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baqaei praised the decision as a demonstration of “responsible and wise statesmanship” by both nations.

Saudi Arabia, under the directives of its leadership, dispatched Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubair to both New Delhi and Islamabad on May 8 and 9. During these visits, Al-Jubair engaged with top officials from both countries, advocating for restraint and emphasising the importance of resolving disputes through dialogue and diplomatic channels.

Israel’s PM Netanyahu, fighting against terrorism himself, tweeted, “My dear friend @narendramodi, I am deeply saddened by the barbaric terrorist attack in #Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, that killed and injured dozens of innocents. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. Israel stands with India in its fight against terrorism.” He also spoke with Prime Minister Modi and fully supported the fight against terrorism. The exchanges across the security spectrum also intensified as India prepared and launched decisive strikes in accordance with its “New Normal”.

It will be recalled that President Trump’s visit to the Middle East was critical for the region as it defined new contours of US re-engagement. But in the context of the controversial statements and role with regard to the India-Pakistan conflict, most countries in the region referred to and lauded Trump’s role in stopping the war from escalating between India and Pakistan. Trump repeatedly claimed credit for it. However, India has maintained that further escalation was paused due to Pakistan’s direct request and that it was not India’s intention to escalate in any case.

India’s ‘Zero Tolerance’ Policy

Pakistan is under the constant vigil and watch for its behaviour going forward and how it comes clean on complicity with terror networks in its fertile for terror land. In order to explain the role of Rawalpindi and India’s ‘Zero Tolerance to Terror’ policy, several officials and parliamentary delegations have been sent across geographies, including in West Asia. There is a clear understanding and appreciation of the Indian position as per reports emanating from the region and beyond. But Pakistan is also up to its tricks. The war of narratives has become a new weapon of statecraft, which, with the connivance of Western media and deep states, Pakistan, through its advantage of the ‘First Lie’, created an unsustainable hypothesis that had to be countered with facts and firmness. Having a proactive, robust communication strategy with a whole-of-nation approach is essential to counter fake and fraudulent narratives created by the Pakistani deep state in favour of their non-state actor buddies, who have been admitted by their leadership as their first or second line of defence. We also need to carefully watch the evolution of the China-Pakistan-Turkey-Azerbaijan axis and seek pathways to neutralise its caustic impact through recharging our strategic partnerships with regional majors and beyond.

Finally, we must also be careful in our own narratives of dialogue, peace and diplomacy since the same arguments are ploughed back to us in times of crisis, which was clearly evident this time.