By Sarwar Kashani
Srinagar, May 10 (EFE).— India and Pakistan edged closer to full-scale war on Wednesday after Pakistan’s armed forces struck military sites in India under what it called Operation “Bunyanun Marsoos,” in retaliation for New Delhi’s Operation “Sindoor,” which ostensibly targeted militant camps allegedly backed by Islamabad.
The names given to the military operations carry religious undertones, a pattern both nuclear-armed neighbors have used to escalate tensions and stir communal nationalist sentiments.
While “sindoor,” or vermilion powder, is traditionally worn by married Hindu women on their foreheads and the parting of their hair, “Bunyanun Marsoos” is a Quranic phrase believed by Muslims to be divine praise for those who fight in the name of Allah.
“Sindoor,” the Marital Status of Hindu Women
India launched Operation “Sindoor” on May 7 to avenge the Apr. 22 massacre of tourists, mostly Indians, in the scenic town of Pakistan carried out by gunmen that New Delhi alleged were backed by Islamabad.
Many Indian women visiting Kashmir lost their husbands in the Pahalgam attack, which, according to survivors and officials, targeted them because they were Hindus.
“Sindoor,” traditionally worn by Hindu women as a symbol of marriage, is wiped off when they become widows.
A lesser-known armed group called The Resistance Front (TRF) claimed responsibility for the massacre. India alleges that the TRF is a proxy of the Pakistan-based militant outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Islamabad has denied any involvement in the attack and has called for a neutral investigation into the incident.
The Indian military operation targeting militant hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-istered Kashmir signaled its intent to avenge the widowed Hindu women.
An Indian Army poster promoting the strikes featured a stark image of a spilled jar of sindoor, resembling spattered blood.
While India did not disclose the exact weapons used in its precision strikes on alleged militant infrastructure inside Pakistan, the Indian Air Force claimed to have targeted 21 militant camps across nine locations in retaliation for the Pahalgam attack.
Notably, the Indian government also positioned two women officers, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, as the public faces of the operation. Both have been briefing the media about the military maneuvers.
Helicopter pilot Singh only said niche-technology weapons with carefully selected warheads were used to avoid collateral damage in Pakistan and Pakistan-istered Kashmir.
The two armies have since engaged in cross-border exchanges of heavy artillery fire and loitering munitions, targeting each other’s military bases.
“Bunyanun Marsoos,” the Iron Wall
On Saturday, as the two nations edged closer to war without a formal declaration, Pakistan launched what it called Operation “Bunyanun Marsoos,” firing missiles and deploying bombers to target Indian military air bases.
The name references a Quranic verse believed by Muslims to be divine praise for those who battle in the way of Allah, stand united, and form a structure that is firm and strong.
The Pakistani military described the operation as a retaliatory “eye for an eye” response to India’s provocative May 7 and after strikes, claiming it specifically targeted the Indian air bases used to launch those attacks.
While Pakistan did not specify the types of weapons or aircraft used, reports suggest it deployed short-range surface-to-surface missiles against several locations in India, including the Udhampur and Pathankot air bases in the north, as well as a missile storage facility.
Pakistan said the strikes were carried out after India had earlier targeted at least three of its air bases with air-to-surface missiles in the early hours of Saturday.
Nearly Eight Decades of Rivalry
With the “Sindoor versus Marsoos” conflict escalating, there appears to be no sign of de-escalation, as perpetual fears engulf a region teetering on the brink of potential nuclear war.
At the heart of the 78-year-old rivalry between India and Pakistan lies the Muslim-majority region of Kashmir, prized both for its strategic significance and its scenic beauty.
The two countries ister parts of Kashmir but have claimed it in its entirety since 1947, when they became separate nations after gaining independence from British colonial rule.
India and Pakistan have fought three major wars, two of them over Kashmir, and have frequently engaged in military brinkmanship in the region, which is divided by a de facto border known as the Line of Control. EFE
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