In a decisive military retaliation to the deadly Pahalgam terror attack, India launched Operation Sindoor early Wednesday, targeting nine terrorist infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK), including key hubs of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The strikes were carried out with precision missiles and were described by the Ministry of Defence as “focused, measured, and non-escalatory.”
Among the targets were JeM’s headquarters in Bahawalpur and LeT’s base in Muridke, both located in Pakistan’s Punjab province. The operation was launched two weeks after 26 people, including one Nepali national, were killed in a terror attack in Pahalgam, South Kashmir—an incident that triggered widespread outrage in India and globally.
The defence ministry clarified that no Pakistani military facilities were hit, underscoring India’s deliberate and restrained approach. “India has demonstrated considerable restraint in the selection of targets and method of execution,” the official statement read. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had previously granted the military full operational freedom, closely monitored the strikes.
Following the attacks, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the strikes as an “act of war,” warning of a “befitting reply.” The Pakistan Army confirmed that the missiles targeted areas in Kotli, Muzaffarabad (PoK), and Bahawalpur, though claimed Indian jets did not enter their airspace.
Pakistan Army spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry declared that their air force jets were airborne and vowed retaliation “at a time and place of its own choosing.” Despite this, Indian defence forces remain on high alert along the border.
India also reached out to several key international players, including the US, UK, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and UAE, to brief them on the scope and rationale behind the strikes. Sources indicated that senior Indian officials explained the precision and restraint exercised in targeting only terror infrastructure.
The Indian Army posted “Justice is Served” on social media, while Defence Minister Rajnath Singh wrote “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” in a bold statement of national pride.
The strikes are a part of India’s broader commitment to hold those responsible for terrorism accountable. As Modi had earlier vowed, those behind the Pahalgam massacre would face punishment “beyond their imagination.”
