New Delhi, May 7 (PTI): In retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack, Indian armed forces carried out missile strikes early Wednesday on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir including the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba’s base Muridke.
The military strikes were carried out under ‘Operation Sindoor’ two weeks after the massacre of 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.
“A little while ago, the Indian armed forces launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed,” the defence ministry said in a statement at 1.44 am.
It said the actions by the Indian armed forces have been “focused, measured and non-escalatory” in nature and that no Pakistani military facilities have been targeted.
“India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution,” it said.
Sources said the strikes on all nine targets, including Bahawalpur and Muridke, were successful and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was monitoring ‘Operation Sindoor’ closely.
Muridke, located a short distance from Lahore, is home to a sprawling “markaz” or base of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Bahawalpur is the main stronghold of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).
The other targets — Kotli and Muzaffarabad — are regions in PoK where both LeT and JeM have for long had camps and training facilities, people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity.
The name for the action — Operation Sindoor — is a reference to the red vermillion that Hindu women wear to signify their married status. In the Pahalgam terror attack, the husbands of several women were killed in front of them including an Indian Navy officer.
The terror attack triggered widespread outrage in India and abroad, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowing to deal a “crushing blow to terrorism”.
“These steps come in the wake of the barbaric Pahalgam terrorist attack in which 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen were murdered,” the defence ministry said in the statement.
“We are living up to the commitment that those responsible for this attack will be held accountable,” it said.
In a post on ‘X’ in Hindi shortly after the strikes, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said: “Long live Mother India!” (Bharat Mata Ki Jai).
Pakistan Army spokesman Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that missile strikes were carried out by India at Kotli and Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Bahawalpur in Punjab.
“All of our air force jets are airborne. This cowardly and shameful attack was carried out from within India’s airspace. They were never allowed to come and intrude into the space of Pakistan,” he said
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his country has every right to give a “befitting reply to this act of war imposed by India.”
“The Pakistani nation and the Pakistani armed forces know how to deal with the enemy very well,” he said.
The Pakistan foreign ministry condemned India’s action.
“In an unprovoked and blatant act of war, the Indian Air Force, while remaining within Indian airspace, has violated Pakistan’s sovereignty using standoff weapons, targeting the civilian population across the international border in Muridke and Bahawalpur, and across the Line of Control in Kotli and Muzaffarabad,” it said.
It claimed India’s “act of aggression” has resulted in the death of civilians, adding “Pakistan reserves the right to respond appropriately at a time and place of its choosing.”
Sources in the Indian military establishment said all air defence units have been put on alert along the frontier with Pakistan.
The top military brass of India was closely monitoring the operation, they said.
Following Operation Sindoor, the Indian Army said on ‘X’: “Justice is Served.”
After the operation, India reached out to several leading countries, including the US, Russia, the UK and Saudi Arabia, and briefed them about the military strike on the nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir, the sources said.
“Senior Indian officials have spoken to their counterparts in a number of countries to brief them on the steps taken by India,” said a source.
“Among these are the US, UK, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Russia,” it said.
The operation came days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the armed forces full freedom to respond to the Pahalgam terror attack.
In a high-level meeting with the top defence brass on April 29, PM Modi gave the armed forces “complete operational freedom” to decide on the mode, targets and timing of the response to the Pahalgam terror attack.
Heavy shelling by Pak troops along LoC in Poonch, Rajouri as India carries out ‘Operation Sindoor’
Pakistani army resorted to heavy mortar shelling on forward villages along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch and Rajouri early Wednesday as Indian armed forces carried out missile attacks on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Officials said the shelling was reported from Krishna Ghati, Shahpur and Mankote in Poonch, Laam, Manjakote and Gambeer Brahmana in Rajouri district.
Indian army guarding the border also retaliated and the cross-border shelling between the two sides was going on when last reports were received, they said.
Two weeks after the horrific Pahalgam terror attack, Indian armed forces carried out missile attacks early Wednesday on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, including Bahawalpur which is a major base of Jaish-e-Mohammad terror outfit.
The military strikes were carried out under ‘Operation Sindoor’, the Indian Army said in a statement released at 1.44 am.
“A little while ago, the Indian Armed forces launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed,” the Army said.
“Pakistan again violates the Ceasefire Agreement by firing artillery in Bhimber Gali in Poonch- Rajauri area. Indian Army is responding appropriately in a calibrated manner,” the additional directorate general of public information (ADGPI) of the Indian Army wrote on X.
Meanwhile, a powerful explosion was also heard in Panthiyal sub-division in Ramban district but its exact cause was not known immediately, the officials said.
NSA Ajit Doval speaks with US Secretary of State ‘shortly after’ Indian strikes on Pak
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval has spoken with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio “shortly after” India early Wednesday carried out missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and briefed him on the actions taken, the Indian Embassy in Washington DC said.
India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pak-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
“India’s actions have been focused and precise. They were measured, responsible and designed to be non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani civilian, economic or military targets have been hit. Only known terror camps were targeted,” a press release from the Embassy of India, Washington DC said.
It said that “shortly after the strikes,” NSA Doval spoke with US NSA and Secretary of State Marco Rubio and “briefed him on the actions taken”.
The release said that terrorists killed 26 civilians in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22 in a brutal and heinous attack.
“India has credible leads, technical inputs, testimony of the survivors and other evidence pointing towards the clear involvement of Pakistan-based terrorists in this attack,” it said.
“It was expected that Pakistan would take action against terrorists and the infrastructure that supports them. Instead, during the fortnight that has gone by, Pakistan has indulged in denial and made allegations of false flag operations against India,” it added.
