US House panel Chinese weaponry resulted in Pakistan’s success in ‘Operation Sindoor’
New Delhi: A new report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission has said that Pakistan’s military success during its four-day clash with India in May 2025 widely referred to as Operation Sindoor was significantly driven by the deployment of advanced Chinese weaponry. The findings, published in the Commission’s 2025 Annual Report and reported by The Wire, state that Beijing used the conflict not only as a real-world testing ground for its next-generation military systems but also as a platform to push defence exports globally.
The India–Pakistan confrontation followed a terrorist attack in Pahalgam and quickly escalated into one of the most intense exchanges between the two nations in years. According to the US panel, the episode turned into “a showcase” for China’s modern weapons, with Beijing “opportunistically leveraging the conflict to test and advertise the sophistication of its systems,” especially at a time when its own border tensions with India remain unresolved.
The report notes that Pakistan’s deployment of Chinese platforms — including the HQ-9 air defence system, PL-15 air-to-air missiles, and J-10 fighter jets — marked their first use in active combat. These systems, it says, delivered results that Chinese officials later highlighted in coordinated diplomatic messaging.
One of the most striking observations in the report is the claim that Pakistan used Chinese weapons to shoot down Indian Rafale fighter jets — a point the Commission says became a “key selling point” in China’s defence market outreach. Citing diplomatic sources, the report states that Chinese embassies across several countries “hailed the successes of its systems in the India-Pakistan clash”, promoting them as proof of technical superiority. The panel adds that, in the aftermath, Beijing even convinced Indonesia to halt a Rafale purchase that was already underway, using the conflict’s outcome to further its arms-export footprint in Southeast Asia.
The Commission situates this episode within China’s broader strategic approach to South Asia. It writes that Beijing has deepened its defence links, intelligence sharing, and military cooperation with Pakistan in a manner that carries long-term implications for India’s security landscape.
In a separate section, the report examines the India–China boundary situation, highlighting what it describes as “an asymmetry in priorities”. While India seeks “a sustainable solution” that does not appear as a concession and satisfies domestic expectations to stand firm against Beijing, the report argues that China prefers “high-level, well-publicised dialogues to reach partial resolutions” without committing to deeper structural clarity.
The panel also questions whether India’s engagement with China in 2025 reflects a temporary hedging strategy linked to New Delhi’s trade negotiations with the United States, or whether it signals a substantive shift toward renewed normalisation.
The bipartisan Commission’s findings underline the increasingly overlapping military, diplomatic and commercial tensions in the region, with the 2025 India–Pakistan conflict emerging as a key moment in China’s expanding role in South Asian security dynamics.
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Snowfall blocks two key roads providing alternative connectivity to Kashmir
Rajouri/Jammu (PTI): Traffic on the Mughal and Sinthan Top roads, which provide alternate connectivity to Kashmir, was temporarily suspended on Sunday due to light to moderate snowfall in the high-altitude areas of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.
However, traffic on the 270-kilometre Jammu-Srinagar national highway -- the only all weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country -- was plying as usual despite intermittent rains that ended the over one-and-a-half months long dry spell, they said.
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The Mughal road, which connects the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri with south Kashmir's Shopian, was closed for traffic as a precautionary measure after more than three inches of snow was recorded at Peer Ki Gali on Sunday afternoon.
A group of three tea vendors are left stranded on the road and efforts are on to evacuate them to safety, officials said.
After they were trapped in the snow, the vendors made passionate appeals through video messages urging the authorities to rescue them. The Border Roads Organisation has taken up snow clearance work and is trying to reach the stranded persons, officials said.
The Sinthan Top road, which connects Kishtwar and Doda districts in Jammu with south Kashmir's Anantnag, was also closed after moderate snowfall in the higher reaches.
Both the mountainous roads usually remain closed for several months due to heavy snowfall during winter.
