10 effects of Op Sindoor: Flights cancelled, shadow on IPL match, and more

India has avenged the brutal killings of 26 men in an unprecedented attack on tourists in Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22 with Operation Sindoor — a befitting tribute to the victims and their better halves, whose sindoor (vermillion) was lost in the massacre.

The Indian armed forces carried out precision missile strikes early on Wednesday (May 7) on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, including Bahawalpur, which is a stronghold of the Jaish-e-Mohammad terror outfit.

There have been, expectedly, several repercussions to the strike, with Pakistan resorting to shelling along the border, world powers cautioning the two warring sides, and scores of flights being cancelled and schools being shut. Here are 10 impacts of Operation Sindoor so far.

Also read: Indian military strikes at heart of Pakistan’s terror infrastructure

1. Heavy shelling by Pakistani troops

Pakistan Army resorted to heavy artillery and mortar shelling on forward villages along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir following Operation Sindoor, killing at least 12 people, including four children, and leaving 57 injured.

The shelling was reported from all along the LoC in Poonch, including Balakote, Mendhar, Mankote, Krishna Ghati, Gulpur, Kerni and even Poonch district headquarters, resulting in damage to dozens of houses and vehicles.

The worst-hit in the Pakistani shelling was Poonch district which accounted for all the civilian deaths. Many of the injured are also in serious condition.

Indian Army also responded to the shelling, reportedly resulting in casualties on the enemy side.

2. Over 200 flights cancelled

More than 200 flights have been cancelled and at least 18 airports have been temporarily shut after Operation Sindoor. Air India, IndiGo, SpiceJet, Air India Express, Akasa Air, and a few foreign airlines have cancelled their services to and from various airports.

The affected airports include Srinagar, Leh, Jammu, Amritsar, Pathankot, Chandigarh, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Shimla, Dharamshala and Jamnagar.

Air India cancelled flights to and from nine airports, including Srinagar and Amritsar, till early morning of May 10. IndiGo, too, said it has cancelled more than 165 flights from various domestic airports, including Amritsar and Srinagar, till early morning of May 10.

Also read: JeM chief Azhar loses 10 family members, 4 associates in Operation Sindoor

In an update on X, SpiceJet said airports in parts of northern India, including Dharamshala, Leh, Jammu, Srinagar, and Amritsar, are closed until further notice. Departures, arrivals, and consequential flights may be impacted. Affected passengers can opt for a full refund or an alternate flight as per availability, it added.

At least 35 flights to and from the Delhi airport, the country’s largest and busiest airport, have been cancelled since 12 am. Foreign carriers, including American Airlines, cancelled some of their services from the Delhi airport.

Flight operations from Jaipur to Chandigarh and Hindon were also cancelled and so were all flights from Jodhpur airport.

Akasa Air, in a post on X, said that due to the prevailing situation in the region, all its flights to and from Srinagar have been cancelled. Regional carrier Star Air said its flights to/from Nanded, Hindon, Adampur, Kishangarh and Bhuj stand cancelled for the day.

Airways, in a post on X, said it has temporarily suspended flights to Pakistan due to Pakistani airspace closure.

3. PM Modi’s three-nation visit to Europe called off

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three-nation tour to Europe has been called off in view of escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.

Modi was scheduled to travel to Croatia, Norway and The Netherlands from May 13 to 17. He was slated to visit Norway to attend the Nordic Summit.

But the visit has been called off and the respective countries have been informed about the.

Also read: Pakistan discusses next course; PM Sharif to address parliament

4. Security beefed up in Delhi

Security in the national capital has been intensified with additional police personnel and paramilitary forces deployed at key locations following Operation Sindoor.

The national capital was already on high alert and multiple agencies are scheduled to carry out mock security drills at 55 locations at 4 pm Wednesday. But now, more security personnel have been deployed at key locations such as southwest Delhi’s cantonment area and the IGI Airport.

Police have increased day and night patrolling across different areas in the city with a special focus on tourist and market places. Special patrol units have been mobilised to cover key areas, including Connaught Place, India Gate, Janpath, Yashwant Palace, Gole Market and other vital installations.

The drill will simulate multiple hostile scenarios like air raids, multiple fire emergencies, and search and rescue operations, among others. Sirens will be sounded by police teams across the 15 police districts in the city as part of the exercise.

5. World leaders call for de-escalation

India reached out to several leading countries, including the US, Russia, the UK, and Saudi Arabia, early Wednesday and briefed them about Operation Sindoor. World leaders called on both countries to exercise restraint.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for “maximum military restraint” from India and Pakistan, saying the world cannot afford a military confrontation between the two countries.

US President Donald Trump hoped that the hostilities would end “very quickly”.

“It’s a shame,” he said, adding, “I guess people knew something was going to happen based on a little bit of the past. They’ve (India and Pakistan) been fighting for a long time. They’ve been fighting for many, many decades and centuries, actually, if you really think about it,” Trump said.

Also read: Operation Sindoor: What use of SCALP, HAMMER shows about India’s intent

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that he was closely monitoring the situation between India and Pakistan. The US Mission in Pakistan issued a security alert advising American citizens to leave the areas of active conflict, saying it was “closely monitoring developments”.

Russia also expressed “deep concern” at the developments. Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova was quoted as saying by state-run news agency TAS S, “We call on the parties involved to exercise restraint in order to prevent further deterioration of the situation in the region.”

“We hope that the differences between New Delhi and Islamabad will be resolved through peaceful, political and diplomatic means on a bilateral basis in accordance with the provisions of the Simla Agreement of 1972 and the Lahore Declaration of 1999,” she added.

The UAE asked India and Pakistan “to exercise restraint, de-escalate tensions, and avoid further escalation that could threaten regional and international peace,” according to a statement from UAE Deputy Prime Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said the government is following the situation closely while reiterating its condemnation of the terrorist attack in Kashmir last month. “We are strongly concerned that further retaliatory exchanges will escalate into a full-blown military conflict,” the top government spokesman said at a press conference.

“We strongly urge India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and stabilise the situation through dialogue for the peace and stability of South Asia,” Hayashi was quoted as saying by the Kyodo News.

China said it found India’s military operation “regrettable”. “We are concerned about the ongoing situation. India and Pakistan are and will always be each other’s neighbours,” the Chinese foreign ministry said in a short statement.

“They’re both China’s neighbours as well. China opposes all forms of terrorism. We urge both sides to act in the larger interest of peace and stability, remain calm, exercise restraint and refrain from taking actions that may further complicate the situation,” the statement said.

6. Opposition lauds govt decision, for a change

For a change, Opposition stood united in its applause for the Modi government after Operation Sindoor, though they carefully chose their wording to praise the armed forces solely.

The chief ministers of southern states — including Tamil Nadu’s MK Stalin, his Telangana and Andhra Pradesh counterparts, A Revanth Reddy and N Chandrababu Naidu, respectively, and Karnataka’s Siddaramaiah — welcomed Operation Sindoor.

Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party’s Mayawati also lauded Operation Sindoor. “Parakramo Vijayate (brave become victorious),” Akhilesh Yadav posted on X.

Other political leaders and families of victims of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack also hailed the strikes. NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said no country could be a mute spectator in the aftermath of a terror attack, and now a message has gone out in the world that “India is aggressive”.

The ruling TMC in West Bengal, too, lauded the armed forces for executing Operation Sindoor. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote, “Jai Hind, Jai India” while other party leaders also hailed the move.

The Congress also lauded the security forces, with party president Mallikarjun Kharge saying that India has an unflinching national policy against all forms of terrorism emanating from Pakistan and PoK.

“We are extremely proud of our Indian Armed Forces who have struck terror camps in Pakistan and PoK. We applaud their resolute resolve and courage,” Kharge posted on X.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi posted on X, “Proud of our Armed Forces. Jai Hind!” His sister and fellow MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said on X, “We are extremely proud of our Army. Our brave soldiers protect our freedom and integrity. May God protect them and give them immense courage to face challenges with patience and bravery. Jai Hind.”

Also read: Op Sindoor: Who are Vikram Misri, Sofiya Qureshi, Vyomika Singh, who briefed media?

7. Schools and colleges shut

Schools and colleges have been closed in several bordering states after Operation Sindoor.

All schools were closed in the four border districts of Rajasthan — Ganganagar, Bikaner, Jaisalmer and Barmer. In Punjab, all schools in the border districts of Ferozepur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Amritsar, and Gurdaspur remained closed on Wednesday.

All educational institutions in five border districts of Jammu also remained closed on Wednesday.

Educational institutions in three border districts of Kashmir — Baramulla, Kupwara, and Gurez of Bandipora — were closed as a precautionary measure too.

The Kashmir University and Cluster University postponed all examinations scheduled for the day.

8. Kartarpur corridor shut

The Kartarpur corridor at Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district was shut for the day, in the wake of Operation Sindoor.

There will be no beating retreat ceremony at the Attari border in Amritsar on Wednesday either.

The Kartarpur corridor links the Darbar Sahib gurdwara in Pakistan, the final resting place of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, to the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district.

As per the agreement signed between India and Pakistan, 5,000 pilgrims can cross over to the neighbouring country per day to pay obeisance at the historic gurdwara.

Also read: Operation Sindoor: Top 10 takeaways from Armed forces press conference

9. Markets volatile but largely unaffected

Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty faced heavy volatility on Wednesday morning trade after Operation Sindoor.

The Sensex hit the day’s high of 80,844.63 and an intra-day low of 79,937.48. The NSE Nifty hit a high of 24,449.60 and a low of 24,220.

The rupee depreciated 31 paise to 84.66 against the US dollar in early trade.

“What stands out in Operation Sindoor from the market perspective is its focused and non-escalatory nature. We have to wait and watch how the enemy reacts to these precision strikes by India. The market is unlikely to be impacted by the retaliatory strike by India since that was known and discounted by the market,” VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments Limited, told news agency PTI.

10. Shadow over IPL match

The Punjab Kings (PBKS) vs Mumbai Indians (MI) IPL match scheduled for May 11 is likely to be shifted out of Dharamsala as the airport was shut down amid heightened security after Operation Sindoor.

According to an India Today report, the match may be shifted to Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

(With agency inputs)