Islamabad: During the India-Pakistan standoff in May 2025, sparked by the Pahalgam attack on April 22 and the subsequent “Operation Sindoor” military offensive, India implemented an unprecedented crackdown on media freedom, resulting in severe censorship and the suppression of dissent.
According to Kashmir24, following the 22 April 2025 Pahalgam incident that killed 26 civilians, India launched Operation Sindoor on 7 May, sparking the brief 2025 India-Pakistan conflict ended by US-mediated ceasefire on 10 May – then brutally silenced critics.
In a shameless display of state-orchestrated repression during the 2025 India-Pakistan conflict, the Indian government weaponized national security as a blanket excuse to crush free speech, target journalists, and muzzle any narrative challenging its aggressive posturing.
What began as a response to the 22 April 2025 Pahalgam attack in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 civilians (mostly tourists), quickly morphed into Operation Sindoor – missile and drone strikes o in Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir starting 7 May 2025. Pakistan’s retaliation led to a brief armed clash, but the US-mediated ceasefire on 10 May 2025 barely masked India’s real war: one against its own people and independent voices.