Archive · 7 Oct 2026
India’s Military Responses Expanded From Uri to Sindoor
The article describes how India’s military responses to attacks changed over ten years.
After an attack at Uri in 2016, India said it had hit launch pads near the border.
After the 2019 Pulwama bombing, Indian planes struck a militant camp near Balakot.
In 2025, an attack near Pahalgam killed 26 visitors, and India struck sites it said were linked to militant groups.
Pakistan then retaliated with drones and missiles, according to the article.
India later struck Pakistani airbases, and firing stopped after the countries’ military officials spoke.
The author says India also shared evidence and briefed the public more quickly than after Balakot.
The article argues that India has signalled it may respond more forcefully to future attacks.
It says it remains to be seen whether this will prevent further attacks.
After the 2016 Uri attack killed 19 soldiers, India said it carried out cross-border raids on launch pads near the Line of Control.
Following the 2019 Pulwama attack, which killed 40 personnel, Indian aircraft struck a Jaish-e-Mohammed camp near Balakot.
After 26 people were killed at Baisaran meadow in April 2025, India struck nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir on May 7.
The article says Pakistan then launched drones and missiles, after which India struck 11 Pakistani airbases on May 10.
The author argues that India’s responses grew in depth and target scope while remaining limited in scale, but says whether this creates lasting deterrence is unresolved.
- Who
- India and Pakistan; the article focuses on the military responses under Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- What
- An opinion article examines the expansion of India’s military responses from Uri and Balakot to Operation Sindoor.
- When
- The events described span 2016 to 2025; the article was published October 7, 2026.
- Where
- Uri, Balakot, Pahalgam, Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and Pakistani airbases.
- Why
- The responses followed attacks in India, including the 2025 killing of 26 visitors near Pahalgam.
Article’s argument
Caveats and unresolved questions
Deterrence
Article’s argument
The author argues that India’s increasingly deep and broad responses have changed the expected cost of a major attack for Pakistan.
Caveats and unresolved questions
The author acknowledges that it remains unclear whether this uncertainty will produce durable deterrence.
Public evidence and messaging
Article’s argument
The article says Operation Sindoor featured imagery, regular briefings, fact-checks, and diplomatic delegations, strengthening India’s account internationally.
Caveats and unresolved questions
The article notes that India released no imagery to prove the effects of the 2019 Balakot strike, leaving Pakistan to present its own version.
Escalation and control
Article’s argument
The author presents the May 2025 sequence as controlled: India first struck terror-linked sites and attacked military targets after Pakistan escalated, while the hotline remained in use.
Caveats and unresolved questions
The article reports that Pakistan retaliated with drones and missiles over three nights, underscoring the potential for escalation.
- Uri attack
- September 18, 2016; 19 soldiers were killed.
- Pulwama attack
- February 14, 2019; 40 armed forces personnel were killed.
- Balakot strike
- Indian Mirage 2000 aircraft struck a Jaish-e-Mohammed camp on February 26, 2019.
- Pahalgam-area attack
- On April 22, 2025, 26 visitors were killed at Baisaran meadow.
- Operation Sindoor strikes
- India struck nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir on May 7, 2025.
- Airbase strikes
- India said it struck 11 Pakistani airbases on May 10, including Nur Khan and Sargodha.
- Ceasefire
- The article says firing stopped at 5 p.m. on May 10 after the Pakistani military operations director general called.