Morning Brief: India Hit Pakistan Army Headquarter, Nuclear Command Body With Drones: Report; Defence Stocks Continue To Surge After Op Sindoor; India Calls Out Trump; And More

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India Hit Pakistan Army Headquarter, Nuclear Command Body With Drones: Report

On 8 May, Indian drone strikes targeted key locations including the Pakistan Army’s General Headquarters (GHQ), the Strategic Plans Division—which oversees the country’s nuclear arsenal—and a wing of the Inter-Services Intelligence focused on Kashmir in Rawalpindi, a report in the Hindustan Times by Rezaul H Laskar says

The residence of the army’s corps commander in Punjab's Lahore and several sites within Malir cantonment in Sindh's Karachi were also hit, the report adds.

The strikes did not cause widespread damage and seemed aimed at demonstrating the armed forces’ reach. Many of the drones struck the outer areas of sensitive complexes like the General Headquarters, SPD, and the National Defence Complex (NDC) in Attock.

Pakistani media reported at least two fatalities: one near the cricket stadium in Rawalpindi close to the ISI facility, and another in Attock near the NDC site.

Defence Stocks Continue To Surge After Operation Sindoor

Shares of defence-related companies, including drone manufacturers and missile makers, continued to rise on Thursday (15 May), with several stocks gaining between 1.5 and 9.3 per cent. The BSE Sensex surged 1,200 points to a seven-month high, while the NSE Nifty also hit a seven-month peak, rising 1.6 percent.

Defence stocks have been steadily gaining for several days following India’s Operation Sindoor against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK.

Investor interest is driven by strong domestic demand and growing optimism about defence exports. According to experts, defence shares have risen nearly 11 per cent this week amid the heightened focus on national security.

India Calls Out Trump’s Zero Per Cent Tariff Claim

US President Donald Trump claimed that India had agreed to a trade deal charging no tariffs on American products, a statement strongly refuted by India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who emphasised that negotiations are ongoing and no decisions have been made.

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal is scheduled to visit the US from May 17-20 to continue talks with US trade officials and aims to finalize a trade deal by July 8 to avoid reciprocal tariffs.

The US had imposed 26 per cent tariffs on Indian goods in April but paused most of them for 90 days to allow time for trade negotiations, with a baseline 10 per cent tariff still in place. Both countries aim to deliver the first part of the bilateral trade agreement by Fall 2025, while working to conclude the deal sooner if possible.

Other Developments

India Breaks Silence With Taliban, Raising Stakes For Pakistan

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held his first conversation with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, marking a significant step in India’s engagement with the Taliban regime despite not formally recognising it.

The talks come at a time when relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have soured, and closer ties between India and the Taliban could unsettle Pakistan, which for decades believed a Taliban-ruled Afghanistan would be a strategic advantage against India.

Jaishankar is believed to have thanked the Taliban for strongly condemning the Pahalgam attack and welcomed their clear rejection of Pakistan’s recent false claims aimed at creating distrust between India and Afghanistan. During Operation Sindoor, Pakistan had falsely accused India of firing missiles into Afghan territory.

Apple’s India Investment Plan Intact Despite Trump’s Comments

Apple has confirmed that its investment plans in India remain unchanged and the country will continue to be a major manufacturing hub for its products, despite comments by former U.S. President Donald Trump urging Apple to shift production back to the US.

Government sources said Apple executives reassured Indian officials after Trump stated he had asked CEO Tim Cook to stop building in India and focus on US production. Currently, around 15 per cent of Apple’s global iPhone output comes from India, with major manufacturers like Foxconn, Tata Electronics, and Pegatron involved.

Exports of iPhones from India, especially to the US, have surged—rising 219 per cent in March 2025 alone—amid concerns over rising tariffs.

Apple’s growing operations in India have also become a major source of employment, generating around 2 lakh jobs across its supply chain.

India Begins Monthly Job, Unemployment Reporting

India has started releasing monthly data on jobs and unemployment for the first time, helping track the country’s employment situation more closely and regularly. In April 2025, the national unemployment rate was 5.1 per cent, with men slightly more affected (5.2 per cent) than women (5.0 per cent).

More people in rural areas were part of the workforce (58.0 per cent) compared to urban areas (50.7 per cent), and fewer women, especially in cities, were either working or looking for work. About 52.8 per cent of people aged 15 and above had jobs, with rural areas again doing better than urban areas, though only about one in three women were employed overall.

India Posts Record Outbound Travel In 2024

India recorded its highest-ever number of outbound travelers in 2024, according to Mastercard’s Travel Trends 2025 report. Indian tourists are visiting a wide range of destinations, with Abu Dhabi, Hanoi, and Bali topping the list, driven by better flight connectivity and a growing middle class.

The Asia-Pacific region dominates global travel trends, with eight of the top 15 trending summer destinations, including Tokyo and Osaka, which ranked first and second for the biggest jump in tourist demand.

Japan’s capital, Tokyo, moved to the top spot in 2024, reflecting its ongoing popularity, while Nha Trang in Vietnam gained attention for its beaches and nightlife.

From The States

SC Snubs MP Minister for Insulting Col Sofiya Qureshi

The Supreme Court on Thursday (15 May) declined to grant interim relief to BJP leader and Madhya Pradesh minister Kunwar Vijay Shah, who is facing an FIR for calling Colonel Sofiya Qureshi a "sister of terrorists." The FIR was registered after the Madhya Pradesh High Court took suo motu cognizance of his remarks and ordered legal action.

Shah approached the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the FIR, but a bench led by Chief Justice BR Gavai criticized his comments and refused to intervene. The CJI emphasized that ministers must speak responsibly and dismissed the plea.

SP Leader Slammed For Caste Remarks On Armed Forces

Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav stirred controversy by bringing up the castes of officers involved in Operation Sindoor, accusing the BJP of targeting only Muslim personnel while sparing others based on perceived caste.

His remarks, seen as an attempt to politicise the Armed Forces, drew sharp criticism from across the political spectrum. Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath condemned Yadav’s comments as a reflection of a distorted casteist mindset and an insult to the Army's integrity. BSP chief Mayawati also slammed Yadav, equating his divisive rhetoric with that of the BJP minister he criticised, calling it shameful and condemnable.

You’re all caught up—until next time.