Fear, Silence Persist Across Pakistan Border Villages A Year After Operation Sindoor

As Operation Sindoor completed one year on Thursday, residents living along the India-Pakistan international border claimed the impact of India’s 2025 military action is still visible across villages on the Pakistani side.

The operation, launched in response to the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians on April 22, 2025, marked one of India’s biggest cross-border strikes on terror infrastructure in recent years. Even a year later, villagers near the border say normal activity across the frontier has not fully returned.

Following the killing of 26 tourists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, India launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of May 7, 2025, targeting terror camps operating in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Operation Launched After Pahalgam Terror Attack

Indian forces struck multiple terror sites, including Sawai Nala Camp and Syedna Belal Camp in Muzaffarabad, along with Gulpur Camp, Abbas Camp, Barnala Camp, Sarjal Camp, Mehmoona Joya Camp, Markaz Taiba and Markaz Subhan in Bahawalpur.

According to official accounts, more than 100 terrorists were killed during the operation. The strikes later escalated into a broader military confrontation between India and Pakistan after Pakistani forces targeted Indian military bases.

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‘Pakistan Still Hasn’t Recovered’

Residents living near the international border told reporters that the atmosphere across the Pakistani side remains noticeably subdued even a year later.

Villagers claimed that before Operation Sindoor, farmers from across the border regularly worked in fields close to the frontier, and everyday activity in Pakistani villages was clearly visible and audible from the Indian side. Loudspeaker announcements by local vendors and the sound of azaan from nearby mosques were commonly heard in Indian border villages, they said.

Now, according to local residents, such activity has reduced significantly.

Border Farmers Describe Changed Atmosphere

Farmers in Indian border villages said only a handful of Pakistani farmers are now seen working in fields near the frontier. They also claimed there is far less visible movement in villages across the border compared to the period before the military operation.

According to them, Indian farmers continue agricultural work normally with support and security from the Border Security Force (BSF), while Pakistani farmers appear hesitant and fearful when entering fields near the border.

The villagers attributed the change to the psychological impact of India’s military response under Operation Sindoor.

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Operation Escalated Into Military Confrontation

The strikes carried out under Operation Sindoor triggered a sharp rise in tensions between the two countries. At the time, reports suggested Pakistan had evacuated several villages near the Jammu border and that troops abandoned some forward posts after India’s action.

India later carried out retaliatory operations against Pakistani military infrastructure after Pakistani forces targeted Indian bases during the escalation.

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