India Launches Multi-Sectoral Attack as Pakistan Braces for Military Action

India responded with multi-pronged offensive attack to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack — in which 26 civilians were killed — has totally turned around its engagement policy with Pakistan. This assertive rebalancing cuts across diplomacy, economics, military preparedness, and even water-sharing agreements.

While Pakistan is gearing up for a potential Indian military attack, New Delhi has taken a different route. Instead of going in for direct cross-border retaliation, India is arming itself with non-military levers to re-imagine deterrence and attain its national security objectives.

Water as a Weapon: Suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty

India initially suspended its Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) involvement, originally signed in 1960. It ended normal hydrological data sharing and relaxed internal use restrictions on western rivers. Even though Pakistan may not have an acute water crisis at present as its storage infrastructure is poorly developed, the long-term effect would be catastrophic.

The Indus system irrigates almost 80% of Pakistani agriculture and most of its energy sector. Essentially, India has converted a cooperative agreement into a strategic tool of coercion, a shift from passive diplmacy.

Building an International Consensus

Concurrently, India began a robust diplomatic outreach to unveil Pakistan’s continued patronage of terror organizations. Over 100 nations — from the US to France, Japan, and the UK — were approached to build international consensus. The goal was well-defined: internationalize the complicity factor of Pakistan and gain strategic empathy. Top diplomats like External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri engaged with ambassadors of pivotal world blocs extensively.

In a dramatic development, Iran indicated that it was willing to mediate, and Israel publicly expressed support for India and linked counter-terror cooperation with increased bilateral trade. This multi-stakeholder diplomacy not only makes future alliances but also protects India from potential international censure.

Airspace Denial: Tactical Pressure Without Provocation

In a strategic move, India closed its airspace to all Pakistani civilian and military flights until May 23, 2025. The NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) is effective in entirety over Indian air corridors — Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai. While Pakistan had already denied its airspace to Indian aircraft, India’s closure is more significant, given the strategic significance of Indian airspace to Pakistan’s eastern and Southeast Asian routes.

Consequently, Pakistan International Airlines is seriously impacted, with potential economic and operational effects.

Economic Warfare: FATF and IMF Influence

At the same time, India practiced economic diplomacy. It has lobbied to place Pakistan on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list again. It is also pressuring the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to reconsider the $7 billion bailout package sanctioned for Pakistan based on the argument that the money could be indirectly supporting terror organizations.

Thus far, 23 FATF member nations have sympathized with the Indian stand following the Pahalgam attack. This increased solidarity gives India domestic bargaining power in these institutions. In contrast to traditional warfare, these financial instruments attack the weak economy of Pakistan—without provoking global outrage.

Military Posturing: Strategic Signals of Readiness

Meanwhile, India’s military has gone into show-of-force mode. On April 25, the Indian Air Force conducted Exercise Aakraman, with Rafale jets, Su-30MKIs, and S-400 missile defense systems. The Navy, at the same time, conducted anti-ship and air-defense exercises in the Arabian Sea. At the same time, the Army, with Armed Police Forces, conducted combined exercises under Exercise Sanyukt Abhyas. Coastal security was further enhanced with intensified patrolling by the Coast Guard along the Gujarat coast.

These multi-domain exercises are a strong reminder of India’s rapid-response capability. Interestingly, Pakistan has been firing sporadically along the Line of Control (LoC) for over eight days without knowing what India would do next.

Calibrated Escalation Without Red Lines

Instead of going in for an instant military reaction, India has adopted a policy of controlled escalation. Augmenting water, diplomacy, airspace denial, and economic tools to its strategic arsenal, India has built a non-kinetic system of deterrence.

The policy puts continuous pressure without crossing red lines of global sensitivity. Supported by growing global opinion, India is now morally justified and strategically strong.