India on early Wednesday morning launched Operation Sindoor, targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoK) in retaliation for the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir. The Indian armed forces carried out 24 precision missile strikes on nine terror sites, including strongholds of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Muridke and Bahawalpur, according to reports.
According to official sources, more than 70 terrorists were killed and over 60 injured in the strikes, which significantly degraded the operational capabilities of the terror outfits. JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar claimed that 10 of his family members and four aides were among those killed.
The attacks were reportedly carried out around 1 am IST in response to the April 22 terror strike in Pahalgam, which claimed 26 lives — 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen. The Ministry of Defence, in a statement, confirmed that the strikes targeted locations “from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed.”
The ministry added that the action was “focused, measured and non-escalatory”, with no Pakistani military facilities targeted. “India has demonstrated considerable restraint in the selection of targets and method of execution,” it said, reiterating the country’s commitment to holding the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack accountable.
The name ‘Operation Sindoor’ was reportedly chosen by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had vowed to hunt down those responsible “to the ends of the earth.”
The strike came just hours before a planned nationwide security drill across 244 districts to enhance civil defence readiness in the event of a hostile attack.
Pakistan vows retaliation
Reacting to the strikes, Pakistan’s military spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry confirmed that missile strikes targeted Kotli and Muzaffarabad in PoK, and Bahawalpur in Punjab province. In a statement to ARY News, he said: “Pakistan will respond to this at a time and place of its own choosing. This heinous provocation will not go unanswered.”
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called the strikes an “act of war”, stating on social media platform X that “a forceful response is being given.” He asserted that the Pakistani armed forces and the entire nation are united and ready to respond decisively.
“The Pakistani nation and the Pakistani armed forces know how to deal with the enemy. We will never allow the enemy to succeed in their nefarious goals,” he added.
Rising tensions and Global reactions
The United Nations called for “maximum military restraint” from both countries. Meanwhile, China urged both nations to exercise calm and said it would work with the international community to reduce tensions.
“We are concerned about the ongoing situation. India and Pakistan are and will always be each other’s neighbours. They’re both China’s neighbours as well,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said, reacting to Operation Sindoor.
“China opposes all forms of terrorism. We urge both sides to act in the larger interest of peace and stability, remain calm, exercise restraint, and refrain from taking actions that may further complicate the situation,” he said.
US President Donald Trump also weighed in, saying: “Knew something was going to happen, hope it ends very quickly.”
Flight disruptions and cross-border firing
In the wake of escalating tensions, all flights to Chandigarh, Jammu, Leh, and Srinagar were cancelled. Air India Express issued an advisory asking passengers to confirm flight statuses due to “prevailing restrictions.”
Overnight, the Pakistan Army resorted to artillery shelling and indiscriminate firing across the Line of Control (LoC), particularly near Bhimber Gali in the Poonch-Rajouri sector, resulting in the death of three civilians. The Indian Army is responding “in a proportionate manner,” officials said.
Target details of Operation Sindoor
According to the Indian Army, four targets were inside Pakistan and five in PoK. The terror bases struck include:
· Markaz Subhan Allah, Bahawalpur – JeM
· Markaz Taiba, Muridke – LeT
· Sarjal, Tehra Kalan – JeM
· Mehmoona Joya, Sialkot – Hizbul Mujahideen
· Markaz Ahle Hadith, Barnala – LeT
· Markaz Abbas, Kotli – JeM
· Maskar Raheel Shahid, Kotli – HM
· Shawai Nalla Camp, Muzaffarabad – LeT
· Syedna Bilal Camp, Muzaffarabad – JeM
India briefs UNSC
India’s strikes on Pakistan were not an escalation, but a “response” to the Pahalgam terror attack, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told envoys of 13 of 15 countries in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The 14th member, Pakistan’s envoy, was not invited to the briefing held hours after India’s actions at South Block, but included China’s envoy to India, Xu Feihong. Sierra Leone wasn’t present at the meeting as they don’t have an envoy here.
“In New York, the Indian Permanent Mission is also reaching out to the UNSC members,” government sources was quoted by The Hindu.
During the meeting, Misri reiterated that India’s response to the “barbaric” Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 were killed was “targeted, measured and non-escalatory”, and aimed at deterring and pre-empting more attacks being planned against India. He also said that by “shielding” The Resistance Front (TRF), by insisting on its omission from the UNSC resolution released last week, Pakistan had itself escalated the situation. He said that India would respond to any military escalation by Pakistan at this point.
(With inputs from agencies)