India launches ‘Operation Sindoor’; precision strikes hit 9 terror camps in PoJK; Pakistan vows to respond

New Delhi: 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.