INDIA-PAKISTAN TENSION - 2025.02.21 | SITUATION UPDATE

The situation remains calm and no ceasefire violations have been reported from either side in the last 24 hours. However, both India and Pakistan have launched a post-war propaganda campaign aimed at garnering public and international support. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)  hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of undermining the nation's military operation and playing into Pakistan's narrative in his recent comments on Operation Sindoor.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

• The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for undermining the nation's military operation.
• Casualty Since 07.05.2025 : # India - 18 deaths, including 5 soldiers/ 46 injured ; # Pakistan - 51 deaths, including 11 military personnel/ 121 injured, including 78 Pakistani armed forces
• Casualty as at 21.05.2025 : Nill

1.  The Indian Border Security Force (BSF) said the public retreat ceremony, which is held at three locations in Punjab along the Pakistan border, will resume on 21.05.2025. For the first time after Operation Sindoor.

2.  India’s Ambassador to Israel, Mr. J.P. Singh, has said  that it is high time that Pakistan hands over the chiefs of Pakistan-based global Islamist terror organisations Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) to India.

3.  Director General of Indian Army Air Defence, Lieutenant General Sumer Ivan D’Cunha, said that India has the military strength to strike targets anywhere in Pakistan following the success of Operation Sindoor, which involved precise strikes on terror hubs at nine locations backed by Pakistan.

4.  Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of undermining the nation's military operation and echoing Pakistan's narrative in his recent comments on Operation Sindoor.

• BJP's IT chief Amit Malviya posted an image comparing Gandhi to the Pakistani military leadership.

5.  Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) has rejected the claim made by India that Pakistan had attempted to attack the Golden Temple in Amritsar, one of the holiest sites in Sikhism during the recent tensions.

6.   A senior Pakistani security official said that Pakistan and India have agreed to withdraw troop reinforcements deployed during their recent conflict back to their peacetime positions by the end of May 2025.

7.  Pakistan's Cabinet has approved a proposal to promote Army Chief General Asim Munir to the rank of Field Marshal. This is the first such promotion in Pakistan in over 60 years. The only other individual to hold the rank of Field Marshal was Ayub Khan.

8.  Pakistan army said in a statement that China’s ambassador to Islamabad met the Pakistani Air Chief on 20.05.2025, with the two leaders vowing to bolster collective response mechanisms to emerging threats.

• According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), it is reported that Pakistan accounts for around 63 percent of China’s arms exports.

9.  Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a phone conversation with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi expressed gratitude for Egypt’s balanced approach during Pakistan-India conflict and also discussed developments in the Middle East, particularly the alarming situation in Gaza.

10.   Former President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Sardar Masood Khan said “We stand behind the armed forces of Pakistan. We were victorious this time, and we will always succeed in defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan. The people of Pakistan are Bunyan Marsus, unbreakable in our resolve. We have proven our mettle and remain committed to building a strong and prosperous Pakistan and Azad Kashmir.”