Pakistan’s claims of militant sanctuaries and the right to conduct cross-border strikes against Kabul are reportedly less substantiated than India’s stance during Operation Sindoor in May 2025. Operation Sindoor, initiated by India after the Pahalgam terror attack by a Pakistan-based group, exposed state support for terrorism. Pakistani officials rejected India’s actions, but later applied a similar rationale against Afghanistan.
The impact of Operation Sindoor was significant in altering the cost-benefit analysis of cross-border terrorism. India targeted nine sites in Pakistan associated with terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, signaling a shift in its response to future attacks originating from Pakistani soil. Plausible deniability, a long-standing principle for Pakistan, was challenged by India’s doctrine post the operation.
Following the operation, Pakistan’s military offensive, Operation Ghazab lil Haq, included airstrikes on Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan camps in Afghanistan. Despite Pakistan’s claims of Afghan support for TTP attacks, the UN Special Rapporteur’s report highlighted a lack of credible evidence. The legal framework that Pakistan dismissed during Operation Sindoor is now the basis for its actions against Kabul.
