As India ratchets up the pressures of Operation Sindoor, Pakistan is being confronted by growing internal strife fueled by economic insecurity, military-civilian tensions, and declining global alliances.
By WCRC Intelligence Unit
As India escalates its hybrid warfare agenda under the cloak of Operation Sindoor, the pressure is no longer confined to the Line of Control. What began as a strategic pivot in military posture is quickly evolving into a broader campaign that could shake Pakistan at its core. Behind the silence of covert precision and diplomatic subtleties lies a plan engineered not to provoke open conflict, but to destabilize from within—through sustained, calculated pressure.
While New Delhi has not officially acknowledged Operation Sindoor, strategic observers interpret it as a critical signal: India is no longer playing by the old rules. And that shift could very well turn Pakistan’s structural weaknesses into a full-blown collapse scenario.
India called its overnight strikes ‘Operation Sindoor’.
Sindoor refers to the red vermilion powder worn by married Hindu women. Its usage is considered as a sacred practice rooted in ancient tradition.
The name is an apparent reference to the widows left by the April 22 attack that killed 26 men, most of them Hindu.
Here are the nine camps Indian officials said were targeted during ‘Operation Sindoor’:
- Markaz Subhan Allah, Bahawalpur
- Markaz Taiba, Muridke
- Sarjal, Tehra Kalan
- Mehmoona Joya Facility, Sialkot
- Markaz Ahle Hadith Barnala, Bhimber
- Markaz Abbas, Kotli
- Maskar Raheel Shahid, located in Kotli District
- Shawai Nallah Cam in Muzaffarabad
- Markaz Syedna Bilal
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri says India has responded to cross border terror
Here is a summary of what he said:
- Pahalgam attack on tourists was aimed to disturb normalcy in Indian Kashmir
- India’s intelligence has proof on Pakistan’s role in Pahalgam attack
- Pakistan is a safe haven for ‘terrorists’
- India has responded to cross border terror
- The attack was aimed at destroying terror infrastructure across the border
Operation Sindoor: A Catalyst for Internal Dissolution?
India’s move from passive deterrence to active containment reflects a new age of warfare—defined by covert strikes, psychological operations, and economic strangulation rather than conventional combat. Operation Sindoor exemplifies this philosophy: an undeclared campaign meant to apply strategic pressure without inviting international sanctions or direct retaliation.
This pressure, however, doesn’t only confront Pakistan’s defense apparatus—it shakes the internal equilibrium of its fragile democracy.
The Economic Time Bomb
At the core of Pakistan’s vulnerability is its worsening economic reality. Foreign reserves are plummeting, inflation is uncontainable, and the rupee is in free fall. Its dependency on IMF programs has morphed into a chronic condition. The message to the world is clear: Pakistan is not just unstable—it’s economically unviable.
Operation Sindoor aggravates this vulnerability. Heightened tensions amplify the country’s risk premium, scaring off what little foreign direct investment remains. Investor sentiment is in freefall, and trade partnerships—already weakened by India’s severance of ties—are under greater strain. Meanwhile, India’s lobbying has kept Pakistan on the FATF greylist, choking off global capital inflow and hindering sovereign creditworthiness.
Even China, Pakistan’s closest strategic partner, is withholding fresh CPEC investments, concerned about instability and repayment risk. Simultaneously, India is strengthening ties across the Gulf, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia—relegating Pakistan to the sidelines of regional trade flows.
Political Fallout: A State at War With Itself
The fragility of Pakistan’s civil-military relations has always been an open secret. But under external pressure, that balance could collapse entirely. As military leadership seeks to preserve national pride, its objectives may clash with a civilian government desperately trying to avoid economic meltdown.
This tension has historically led to military coups, and the ingredients are now familiar: public disillusionment, leadership gridlock, and mounting protests. Should the economic spiral continue, a populist movement or a military intervention cannot be ruled out.
What makes this risk more acute is the lack of a cohesive national strategy. Divided political factions, eroding governance structures, and a disillusioned youth population all contribute to a state increasingly susceptible to internal rupture.
The Reawakening of Extremism
As Pakistan faces external encirclement and internal decay, a familiar specter looms: the resurgence of extremist groups. Historically, when the central state weakens, non-state actors thrive—often with devastating consequences.
Sustained military pressure through operations like Sindoor can create security vacuums, particularly in border provinces. These vacuums provide fertile ground for militant reorganization, raising the risk of domestic terror and undermining regional stability. Worse, any such resurgence would trigger international backlash, further isolating Pakistan diplomatically and economically.
A Country at the Edge
Operation Sindoor is not just a military maneuver—it is a strategic siege. It applies pressure not on Pakistan’s borders, but on its economic nerves and political pulse. For a country already buckling under debt, division, and diplomatic fatigue, such pressure could prove to be the final unfastening of an unstable system.
The next battlefield may not be in Kashmir or along the LOC. It may be inside Islamabad—in its collapsing institutions, its discontented streets, and its power-hungry corridors.
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