"How India’s Operation Sindoor Delivered Justice for Daniel Pearl After 23 Years of Silence"
India’s bold and strategically planned Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7, 2025, not only marked a significant escalation in the country’s counter-terrorism efforts following the brutal Pahalgam attack but also brought long-awaited justice to the family of American journalist Daniel Pearl—more than two decades after his horrific beheading in Pakistan. This dramatic connection between a modern Indian military strike and the chilling 2002 murder of Pearl highlights how terrorism’s global web continues to haunt the international community and how persistent nations can still pursue justice through bold, targeted action. As the world reflects on this landmark operation, it’s important to examine how Operation Sindoor accomplished far more than a localized military mission—it sent a loud message to terrorists and their protectors, reminding them that justice, though delayed, can still be served.
Daniel Pearl, a Wall Street Journal reporter and South Asia bureau chief, was on an assignment in Pakistan in early 2002 investigating links between Pakistani intelligence and terrorist groups. He was kidnapped in Karachi and, just weeks later, a horrifying video of his beheading emerged, shocking the global media fraternity and igniting international calls for justice. Despite widespread condemnation and supposed arrests, most of those involved either escaped legal accountability or continued operating freely under the shadowy protection of groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and elements within Pakistan’s intelligence network. For years, Daniel’s father, Professor Judea Pearl, and many supporters—including Pearl’s colleague and Indian-American journalist Asra Nomani—pressed for meaningful action against those responsible.
Fast-forward to May 2025: India, devastated by the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 Hindu pilgrims and wounded dozens more, launched a precision airstrike mission called Operation Sindoor, named symbolically after the vermilion worn by married Indian women—an emotional homage to the wives who lost their husbands in the tragic bombing. Among the nine targets selected across Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, one stood out: a major terror facility in Bahawalpur, the longstanding headquarters of JeM. It was here, according to both Indian intelligence and corroborating foreign intelligence reports, that several notorious terrorists—including Abdul Rauf Azhar, brother of JeM chief Masood Azhar—had been hiding. Rauf Azhar, in particular, was a prime suspect in the Daniel Pearl case.
Abdul Rauf Azhar had played a key role in the 1999 IC-814 hijacking that led to the release of terrorist Omar Saeed Sheikh, who later masterminded Pearl’s kidnapping. Sheikh, although arrested and convicted in Pakistan, continued to operate with relative freedom. The core infrastructure of JeM, instead of being dismantled, evolved and spread further. Operation Sindoor's precision strike on Bahawalpur reportedly neutralized multiple high-value targets, including Rauf Azhar. Indian authorities and several international observers now describe this strike as a long-overdue measure of justice—not only for Indian victims of terrorism but also for global figures like Daniel Pearl whose cases symbolize unresolved chapters of terrorism-fueled violence.
The emotional weight of this operation was captured poignantly by Asra Nomani, who posted a tribute on X (formerly Twitter). She recounted how Pearl had gone to Bahawalpur in December 2001 with only a notebook and pen, seeking truth in a country teeming with dangerous secrets. “Danny was no cowboy,” she wrote, emphasizing that his trip was deemed low-risk. “This was a calculated trip. No journalist had ever been kidnapped before in Pakistan.” Yet Pearl’s calculated risk became a global tragedy. Nomani’s words served as a reminder of Pearl’s courage and the failure of international systems to bring his killers to justice—until now.
India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh praised the operation’s success, calling it “unimaginable in its execution and result.” Singh emphasized that India had not just responded to the Pahalgam attack, but also dismantled decades-old terror nests allowed to operate with impunity. He claimed that India had provided “closure for families whose cries for justice had echoed in silence for far too long.” In private briefings, Indian intelligence sources confirmed that Operation Sindoor had been in preparation for months, but the Pahalgam incident accelerated its execution.
This development also reignited global debate over Pakistan’s continued role as a haven for terrorist entities. Despite repeated assurances to the United States, the United Nations, and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Pakistan has struggled to dismantle major terror infrastructure within its borders. Groups like JeM and LeT continue to operate training camps, indoctrination centers, and logistical bases in places like Bahawalpur, Kotli, and Muzaffarabad. Operation Sindoor may not have been directly designed to resolve Pearl’s case, but in striking at the epicenter of JeM operations, it inadvertently reopened the conversation about Pakistan’s credibility as an ally in the global war on terror.
India’s narrative gained support among many in the U.S. as well. Several members of the U.S. Congress expressed solidarity with India and praised its commitment to counter-terrorism. Senator John Blake from New York stated, “Daniel Pearl was an American citizen. His killers lived freely for far too long. If this operation has eliminated one or more of them, the world owes India a thank you.” The White House, while urging restraint on both sides to avoid escalation with Pakistan, acknowledged “the seriousness of India’s security concerns and its right to defend itself against terrorism.”
Pearl’s father, Judea Pearl, issued a heartfelt statement. “We have never stopped seeking justice for Daniel. If indeed those responsible for his murder have met justice through this operation, we welcome the news. But we must remember, no country should ever allow such criminals to operate on its soil for decades.”
Meanwhile, Pakistan condemned the operation as an unprovoked act of aggression and claimed several civilians were killed. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a televised address, labeled India’s strikes as “cowardly” and vowed retaliation. However, mounting international pressure, especially from the United States, China, and Gulf countries, urged Islamabad to de-escalate. With calls for dialogue from Turkey, Russia, and the United Nations, both nuclear-armed neighbors are now facing global scrutiny. Yet beneath the geopolitical tensions lies the undeniable moral question: Is justice served if it comes from outside the conventional court system? And does a nation have the right to strike terror bases when international systems fail?
The answer, at least for many Indians and Daniel Pearl’s supporters, seems to be yes. Operation Sindoor was not just a message to terrorists but a loud indictment of the global community’s inertia over two decades. It also highlights how the lines between national interest and international justice can sometimes converge on the battlefield.
As India wraps up the immediate phase of Operation Sindoor, with multiple Pakistani jets shot down and at least nine terror targets destroyed, it now finds itself in a delicate situation. The government is aware that any further escalation may bring unpredictable consequences. Yet, in the eyes of many around the world, this is a rare moment when a military operation has managed to correct a long-standing injustice.
In the coming days, the world will watch to see whether Pakistan responds militarily, seeks international arbitration, or moves towards dismantling terror outfits to avoid further embarrassment. For India, Operation Sindoor has already rewritten the rules of engagement—not only along the Line of Control but in the global narrative of justice. And for Daniel Pearl’s family, this moment may finally mark a turning point—one that affirms that justice, no matter how delayed, is not forgotten.