India’s so-called “Operation Sindoor” carried out under the cloak of night was not a show of strength, but a calculated act of cowardice. Striking major Pakistani cities while civilians slept, it marks a perilous escalation in South Asia, one that cannot be ignored or allowed to go unanswered. Misrepresented in the language of self-defense, these attacks were carried out without presenting a shred of credible evidence linking Pakistan to the Pahalgam incident in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The consequences are grave, not only for regional peace, but for the very foundations of international law.
There is a basic rule in international law: force is a last resort, and only when justified. Under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, the use of force in self-defense is permitted only when a state is subjected to an armed attack, and only if that attack can be clearly attributed to another state. India, however, has failed to present any credible, verifiable link between the Pahalgam attack and Pakistan. Without such attribution, its claim to self-defense collapses under legal scrutiny.
Even more baffling is the absence of an imminent threat. There is no indication that Pakistan posed any immediate danger to India. In international law, self-defense must not only respond to an armed attack, it must also be necessary and proportionate. India’s response, military strikes on densely populated civilian areas, fails this test on all counts.
These are not minor technicalities. These are the foundational principles that prevent wars and preserve peace.
India’s actions are also in direct violation of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state. By launching strikes on Pakistani territory, India has breached this cardinal rule. Equally ignored is Article 2(3), which requires states to resolve disputes through peaceful means. India bypassed dialogue, diplomacy, and dispute resolution, and chose military aggression.
The strikes have also inflicted a heavy human toll. Civilian casualties have been reported in areas with no military presence. These are not accidental deaths in the fog of war. These are the predictable, and preventable, consequences of targeting urban centers.
In doing so, India has undermined key international human rights instruments. As a state party to both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), India is bound to uphold the right to life (UDHR Article 3, ICCPR Article 6) and the right to due process (UDHR Article 10, ICCPR Article 14). Aerial bombardment offers neither. Innocent lives were lost without warning or recourse.
The breach doesn’t end here. India’s conduct also violates customary international law, particularly the peremptory norm or jus cogens that prohibits the use of force. These are rules that no state can opt out of. By engaging in armed aggression without Security Council authorization or Pakistan’s consent, India has flouted Pakistan’s sovereignty and intervened unlawfully in its internal affairs.
Even under the rules of International Humanitarian Law, India’s actions are indefensible. The principle of distinction, enshrined in Article 48 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions, obligates warring parties to distinguish between civilians and combatants. India’s decision to strike populated civilian areas is a blatant breach of this rule. It is not just reckless, it is illegal!
And what of South Asia’s own mechanisms for peace?
India has also trampled over the Simla Agreement (1972), which commits both countries to resolve issues peacefully and respect the Line of Control. The Tashkent Declaration (1966) requires both sides to renounce force and normalize relations. And the Lahore Declaration (1999) calls for restraint, dialogue, and the prevention of conflict escalation. India’s strikes defy all three. In doing so, it has dismantled decades of diplomatic progress in one fell swoop.
So, what now?
Pakistan cannot afford to remain silent and neither can the world. The path forward must be legal, diplomatic, and resolute. Pakistan should immediately bring the matter before the United Nations Security Council, emphasizing the illegality of India’s actions and the threat they pose to regional stability. It should also raise the issue at the UN Human Rights Council, highlighting the civilian casualties and violations of human rights.
At the same time, Pakistan must activate the dispute-resolution mechanisms embedded in the Simla Agreement and other bilateral accords. These frameworks were designed precisely to prevent escalation and enable dialogue. Let them be tested.
On the international stage, Pakistan must rally support among allies and multilateral platforms—the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the European Union, the Commonwealth, and beyond. The international community must take a principled stance: condemn the aggression, call for accountability, and reaffirm the rule of law.
India’s actions are illegal, unjustified, and dangerously destabilizing. If such behavior is allowed to go unchecked, it will set a precedent that puts every state and every civilian at risk.
Pakistan will not be intimidated or bowed by aggression. We will not remain silent in the face of unlawful actions, nor will we allow justice to be overshadowed by force. This is a fight for the integrity of international law, for our sovereignty, and for the core values that uphold peace and security.
Already, Pakistan has demonstrated its resolve, defending its sovereignty by downing five Indian fighter jets and one drone, actions that show we will not stand idly by in the face of unlawful aggression. The time to act is now!
