Suggested Reads on Operation Sindoor & Kashmir

I came across two well-researched pieces on Operation Sindoor that help paint a clearer picture of the military/political dynamics of the recent India-Pakistan conflict. Sharing them here. Add them to your reading list (they’re quite long).

Illusions and Realities of ‘Cross-Border Incidents’

The first set of articles is written by the renowned Austrian military historian Tom Cooper. While each side is claiming “victory”, Tom uses hard data to offer an objective breakdown of what likely happened on the ground and in the air.

Interestingly, he points out that Indians should be praising the Indian-made Akash defence system more than the Russian-made S-400s. According to him, it was the Akash that did most of the damage during the operation. That’s great news for us that our own indigenous defence systems are performing exceptionally well.

Part 1: xxtomcooperxx.substack.com/p/illusions-and-realities-of-cross

Part 2: xxtomcooperxx.substack.com/p/illusions-and-realities-of-cross-b6c

Setting the Record Straight on Kashmir

The next one is an opinion piece by Stanford student Samyukta Shrivatsa, challenging some of the misleading narratives around the conflict, including the flawed comparisons with Israel-Gaza.

Firstly, it’s heartwarming to see our Indian diaspora fighting for India in whatever capacity they can. Secondly, I’m glad she brought up the UN-backed plebiscite and its key condition – that Pakistan must first withdraw its “troops” (aka terrorists, tribals, army) for the plebiscite to take place. It’s a crucial detail in the UN Security Council Resolution 47 that many activists tend to overlook or deliberately ignore. A PDF of this resolution is readily available online for reference.

Makes you question – why isn’t the “lobby” putting more pressure on Pakistan to meet the first requirement of the UN resolution?

Link: stanforddaily.com/2025/05/13/from-the-community-setting-the-record-straight-on-kashmir/

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