By Aishma Gul
“Allah indeed loves those who fight in His Way as though they are a solid wall cemented with molten lead.” (61:4 Al Quran)
This verse, calling to mind the unbreakable unity and strength of the faithful, sets the tone for Pakistan’s response, Operation Bunyan al Marsoos (Solidly Cemented Structure). After a serious breach of a twenty-year ceasefire, Islamabad delivered a carefully planned, open, and firm reply—showing it would defend its borders without harming civilians. Framing the mission in religious terms adds a powerful emotional layer: it portrays the military as a single, faith-blessed fortress. The “wall” image also hints at the multiple layers of strikes to come. Just as the verse speaks of a strong structure, the plan relied on closely coordinated forces—hypersonic missiles, drones, and cyberattacks—working together like interlocking bricks in Pakistan’s defence.
1. U.S.-Brokered Ceasefire and India’s Diplomatic Push
On 10 May 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social, “India and Pakistan have agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire, after a long night of talks mediated by the United States.” Behind closed doors, India leaned heavily on U.S. figures—led by Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio—to get Washington fully involved, while also enlisting Gulf allies and others to pile on diplomatic pressure against Islamabad. Senior CNN correspondent Nic Robertson noted that Pakistan’s firm counterstrikes “really put India on the back foot,” forcing New Delhi to seek urgent U.S. help to stop things from getting worse.
Still, New Delhi’s history with ceasefires has been spotty: in the first two months of 2021 alone, 253 violations along the Line of Control hurt civilians, even though on 25 February 2021 both sides had vowed “strict observance” of the truce. True to form, new blasts were reported in Srinagar and Jammu just hours after this latest ceasefire, with each side blaming the other—echoing what happened when India broke off the 2021 deal after the Pahalgam attack on 22 April 2025.
2. Brief Recall: Operation Sindoor
Operation Sindoor took place overnight on 7 May 2025, soon after the 22 April Pahalgam attack where militants killed 28 tourists. Over just 23 minutes, Indian Rafale jets launched SCALP cruise missiles and AASM Hammer precision bombs at nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Reports say at least 31 civilians—women and children among them—were killed, and mosques and homes were harmed. Striking so deep into Punjab shattered long-standing notions of peace, pushing Pakistan to strike back resolutely
3. Execution of Bunyan al Marsoos: Integrated Physical and Cyber Strikes
On May 10, Pakistan launched Operation Bunyan al-Marsoos, a powerful response against India.
– Destruction of Military Installations: More than 20 key military sites—like missile depots and air defence systems—were hit with pinpoint accuracy, weakening the opponent’s defensive setup. Throughout, Pakistani outlets shared videos highlighting how precise and well-coordinated the strikes were.
– Runway and Support Infrastructure Neutralised: Targeted missiles blew out crucial runway sections and tactical support hubs, sharply cutting sortie capacity.
– Power Grid Knockout: Pakistan’s cyber teams disabled about 70 per cent of the rival’s national electricity network, causing widespread blackouts and straining military energy supplies. This blend of physical strikes and digital disruption plunged parts of northern India into chaos.
– Defacement of Government Portals: Major websites—ruling party pages, defence agency sites, and other critical platforms—were hacked or defaced, breaking public information channels.
– Surveillance Network Hijack: Over 2,500 security cameras were seized, blinding vital monitoring systems and seriously undermining real-time intelligence.
– Jamming of Command Channels: Key military communications were jammed alongside the kinetic strikes, disrupting command-and-control and situational awareness at multiple levels.
The goal was obvious: stop India from doing this again. Taking out the S-400 system, in particular, removed a major threat to the Pakistan Air Force’s freedom of action. While Pakistan publicly touted its missile hits, experts suspect heavy jamming and cyber tactics masked the operation, blocking Indian intercepts. In effect, Pakistan treated the battlefield as a single, connected network—launching cyberattacks on the grid at the same time it launched missiles to confuse any onlookers.
4. Human Elements: Tribute and Resolve
– Banner Dedication
A banner on the Al-Fateh launch vehicle bore the names of children killed in the earlier Indian strike—a stark reminder of the operation’s moral drive and Pakistan’s promise to remember its innocent victims.
By highlighting those children and soldiers as “martyrs,” Pakistan upends the Sindoor narrative. Every Pakistani casualty supports the idea that outside threats endangered innocents, making Bunyan al Marsoos a necessary shield—a sharp contrast to India’s “terror target” claim.
– Pilots’ Wills
Right before takeoff, Pakistan Air Force pilots wrote personal wills, pledging their willingness to give everything for national defence. All pilots returned safely.
– Global Recognition of PAF Supremacy
The Daily Telegraph called the downing of Rafale jets and the use of stealth tactics a “regional game-changer,” citing reports of multiple Indian aircraft losses at Akhoor, Ambala, Barnala, and Jammu.
A South Asian defence journal from Bangladesh praised the PAF’s use of Chinese HQ-9/HQ-16 (LY-80) surface-to-air missiles and Pakistan’s homemade Fatah-II interceptors, labelling it possibly the largest anti-drone operation in the region’s history. That kind of acclaim—even talk of joint defence talks—boosts Pakistan’s standing.
The clash became a live showcase of Pakistan’s arsenal, blending Chinese tech (HQ-9, HQ-16) with homegrown missiles and jamming gear.
5. Comparative Analysis: Sindoor vs. Bunyan al Marsoos
– Naming and Narrative: India chose “Sindoor” (vermilion), symbolizing marital protection – a poignant reference to the Hindu victims singled out in the Pahalgam massacre. Pakistan’s “Bunyan al-Marsoos”, by contrast, leans on the Qur’an, highlighting a defensive iron-wall motif.
– Timing: Sindoor struck under the cover of night; Bunyan al Marsoos struck in broad daylight for full transparency.
– Targets: Sindoor hit a mix of sites—some near civilians—leading to at least 31 deaths and mosque damage; Bunyan al Marsoos focused strictly on military facilities, with no civilian casualties.
– Scale of Damage: Op Sindoor inflicted psychological shock but little lasting strategic damage – Pakistan’s air bases and infrastructure remained largely intact. Op Bunyan al Marsoos, as claimed, disabled key facilities (including the S-400 and BrahMos launchers) and produced physical blackouts – a more crippling blow to Indian warfighting capacity.
– Strategic Posture: Sindoor risked wider conflict; Bunyan al Marsoos sent a measured, legally solid deterrent message.
Operation Bunyan al Marsoos serves as a model of well-measured military action. It proved Pakistan could not only hit back but do so with sophistication—synchronizing missiles, jets, drones, and cyberweapons in one campaign. Islamabad now frames the result as proof of its principle: Pakistan “as a responsible state” quickly accepted the mediated ceasefire, showing its goal was defence and restraint. Yet the message is clear: any future violation of Pakistan’s soil or the Line of Control will get an equally strong response.
Looking forward, the effects are twofold. Militarily, Pakistan has shown it can deter effectively. Politically, this conflict underlines how vital dialogue is: global powers (EU, UN, etc.) have urged both sides to keep the ceasefire as a “vital step.” Strategically, India must recognize that Pakistan’s defences are now stronger and more tech-driven, making any routine show of force much riskier. For Pakistan, the task ahead is to turn this tactical success into lasting security and diplomatic stability.