RETALIATION : India Avenges Pahalgam Attack : Strikes 9 Terror targets in Pak, PoK under OPERATION SINDOOR

Justice served, says Army, Pak PM terms move as ‘act of war’ 

‘Nari Shakti’ on display during press briefing

(L) Col Sofiya Qureshi and (R) Wing Commander Vyomika Singh,who briefed the media on 'Operation Sindoor'

PTI, NEW DELHI, MAY 7, 2025 :  Retaliating against the Pahalgam terror attack, Indian armed forces early Wednesday carried out missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, including the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba's base in Muridke.

The military strikes were conducted under Operation Sindoor, two weeks after the Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians.

“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 a.m.

Earlier in the day, the country’s ‘Nari Shakti’ was veritably on display during a press briefing on Operation Sindoor, as two accomplished women military officers joined Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in giving details about the precision strikes by the armed forces on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.

At the briefing held at the National Media Centre, Misri was flanked by Col Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, presenting a striking image of a combination of India’s prowess in military and diplomacy.

The Union government statement said: “No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution.”

It said the actions by the Indian Armed Forces have been “focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature” and that no Pakistani military facilities were targeted.

Sources added that the strikes on all nine targets were successful and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was monitoring Operation Sindoor closely. It is learnt that the Indian armed forces used stand-off weapons, drones, and precision munitions, among other weapons, in the strike.

Muridke, about 30 km from Lahore, is home to a sprawling markaz or base of the LeT. Bahawalpur is the main stronghold of the JeM. Both are in Pakistan Punjab.

The other targets — Kotli and Muzaffarabad — are regions in PoK where both LeT and JeM have long had camps and training facilities, people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity.

The targets included:

• Hizbul Mujahideen’s facility in Mehmoona Joya in Sialkot

• LeT’s base in Markaz Ahle Hadith in Barnala and its camp in Muzaffarabad’s Shawai Nalla

• JeM’s Markaz Abbas facility in Kotli

The carefully named Operation Sindoor is a reference to the vermilion that married Hindu women wear on their foreheads or in the parting of their hair to signify marital status. It is a hat tip to the women who lost their husbands in the April 22 attack in the upper reaches of Kashmir’s Pahalgam town.

India’s actions came two weeks after the Pahalgam terror attack triggered widespread outrage in India and abroad.

“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 its statement.

“We are living up to the commitment that those responsible for this attack will be held accountable,” it added.

In a post on ‘X’ in Hindi shortly after the strikes, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said:

“Long live Mother India!” (Bharat Mata Ki Jai)

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar added:

“The world must show zero tolerance for terrorism.”

The Indian Army posted:  “Justice is served.”

Meanwhile, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif termed the Indian missile strikes an “act of war” and said his country has every right to give a “befitting reply.” Pakistan Army spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said missile strikes were fired 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.

After the operation, India reached out to several leading countries, including the US, Russia, the UK, UAE, and Saudi Arabia, and briefed them about the military strike on the nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, the sources said.

It may be added here that more than 200 flights have been cancelled and at least 18 airports, including Srinagar, have been temporarily shut for operations amid restrictions in the wake of the armed forces launching missile attacks on terror targets in Pakistan on Wednesday morning.

Sources said that at least 18 airports in the northern and western parts of the country have been temporarily shut.