One year after India-Pakistan conflict, rival narratives persist

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AdvertisementSkip next section What you need to know

What you need to know

• Today marks one year since India's four-day conflict with Pakistan
• Modi said Operation Sindoor demonstrated India's 'firm response against terrorism'
• The military operation was sparked by an attack on tourists in April last year, killing 26 people, mostly Hindu men
• Trump claims of having brokered the ceasefire that ended the conflict have also been a point of dispute
• BJP leader's aide shot dead, hundreds arrested as post-poll violence grips West Bengal
• Vijay's bid to form the government in Tamil Nadu hits early hurdle

This blog is now closed. Here is a roundup of the latest updates from India on Thursday, May 7:

Skip next section Thank you for reading!05/07/2026May 7, 2026

Thank you for reading!

That's it from us for today's edition of the India blog!

Catch us again tomorrow, where we shall be back with more news, videos and analyses from India. 

https://p.dw.com/p/5DQ73Skip next section Vijay's bid to form the government in Tamil Nadu hits early hurdle05/07/2026May 7, 2026

Vijay's bid to form the government in Tamil Nadu hits early hurdle

Actor-turned-politician Joseph Vijay's bid to form the government in India's Tamil Nadu state hit an early hurdle after the governor asked his party to prove majority support in the assembly, media reports said.

Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) emerged as the single largest party with 108 seats in the 234-member assembly, but fell short of the 118 needed to govern without outside backing.

The TVK has garnered support from the Congress party's five members in the new legislature

The party has expressed concern over the deadlock and said it could pursue legal action to challenge the governor's refusal to accept its current claim to form a minority government, news channel NDTV reported.

Governor Rajendra Arlekar is a former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister, but the party has maintained that the governor is acting according to the constitution, NDTV reported.

https://p.dw.com/p/5DPrDSkip next section BJP leader's aide shot dead, hundreds arrested as post-poll violence grips West Bengal05/07/2026May 7, 2026

BJP leader's aide shot dead, hundreds arrested as post-poll violence grips West Bengal

A close aide to a senior leader of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was shot dead in eastern India's West Bengal state, police said on Thursday, just days after the party swept the state elections.

Chandranath Rath, 41, an aide to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, was ambushed by gunmen on motorbikes near his home in Kolkata late on Wednesday, police said.

The killing comes amid post-election violence following the BJP’s landslide victory over Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC), ending her 15-year leadership in the state.

Police said more than 200 cases had been registered and 433 people arrested in connection with the violence. At least five people have been killed since the results were announced on Monday.

The BJP accused the TMC of carrying out "targeted assassinations," while the TMC denied involvement and blamed "BJP-backed miscreants" for attacks on its supporters.

The recent spate of violence has added to political tensions in the state.

https://p.dw.com/p/5DPC0Skip next section One year after conflict, rival narratives persist over ceasefire and blame05/07/2026May 7, 2026

One year after conflict, rival narratives persist over ceasefire and blame

The anniversary of last year's four-day military conflict between nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan has highlighted competing narratives promoted by New Delhi, Islamabad and Washington over the conflict and the ceasefire that ended four days of fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbors.

New Delhi has largely portrayed Pakistan as the aggressor in the conflict, known in India as "Operation Sindoor," which was triggered by the Pahalgam attack in Indian-administered Kashmir in which 26 civilians were killed, according to Indian authorities.

Pakistan, which refers to the conflict as "Marka-e-Haq" or "Battle of Truth," has cast itself as the victim of Indian aggression and said India never presented evidence linking Islamabad to the attack.

The Trump factor

Meanwhile, repeated claims by US President Donald Trump that he brokered the truce have become another point of dispute.

India has strongly denied any US mediation, with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri saying Modi told Trump the ceasefire was achieved through direct talks between the Indian and Pakistani militaries.

"Prime Minister Modi emphasized that India has not accepted mediation in the past and never will," Misri said.

India maintains a longstanding policy rejecting third-party mediation over Kashmir, the disputed region claimed in full by both countries.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, however, has publicly thanked Trump for helping secure the ceasefire, saying Washington played a "pivotal role" in ending the conflict.

Since the conflict, Pakistan has enjoyed closer relations with the US, stepping up to broker a US-Iran ceasefire, while India's trade deal came with riders involving Russian oil.

https://p.dw.com/p/5DOv9Skip next section Pakistan warns of forceful response to any future attack05/07/2026May 7, 2026

Pakistan warns of forceful response to any future attack

Pakistan's military on Thursday warned it would respond forcefully to any future attack as the country marked one year since the four-day conflict with India.

The military said any "hostile design" against Pakistan would be met with "greater strength, precision and resolve" than during last year's conflict, which Islamabad calls "Marka-e-Haq" or "Battle of Truth."

The statement by the Pakistan armed forces came even as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the "courage, precision and resolve" of the Indian armed forces during the military operation against Pakistan last year.

India threatens to dry out Pakistan

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https://p.dw.com/p/5DOZ6Skip next section Modi says India remains firm in its resolve to defeat terrorism05/07/2026May 7, 2026

Modi says India remains firm in its resolve to defeat terrorism

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the country remained firm in its resolve to defeat terrorism, marking one year since the four-day conflict with Pakistan.

The military operation was sparked by gunmen attacking tourists close to the resort town of Pahalgam in India-administered Kashmir in April last year, killing 26 people, mostly Hindu men.

At the time, India accused Pakistan of backing the attackers, which Islamabad strongly denied.

This led to the worst conflict between India and Pakistan in decades. The intense four-day conflict saw military strikes on both sides, and dozens of people were killed until a ceasefire was reached on May 10.

On Thursday, Modi said in a post on X that the operation demonstrated India's "firm response against terrorism and an unwavering commitment to safeguarding national security." He also highlighted the "courage, precision and resolve" of the Indian armed forces.

"Today, a year later, we remain as steadfast as ever in our resolve to defeat terrorism and destroy its enabling ecosystem," Modi wrote.

India says strikes targeted 'terrorist' sites in Pakistan

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https://p.dw.com/p/5DOKmSkip next section Welcome to our coverage05/07/2026May 7, 2026

Welcome to our coverage

Shakeel Sobhan | Dmytro Hubenko Editor

This is Shakeel from DW's New Delhi Studio bringing you the latest updates from across India.

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the armed conflict between India and Pakistan.

The Indian military operation, codenamed Operation Sindoor, was launched in response to the April 2025 Pahalgam attack in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 civilians were killed, according to New Delhi.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country remains steadfast in its resolve to defeat terrorism.

Meanwhile, post-election violence in West Bengal has claimed three lives while hundreds were arrested.

For all this and more, stay tuned to our India blog.

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