Exactly two weeks after the brutal gunning down of 26 tourists in the serene valley of Pahalgam by terrorists with links to Pakistan, India executed a meticulously planned retaliatory operation codenamed ‘Operation Sindoor’. In a swift and decisive post-midnight strike lasting approximately 25 minutes on the intervening night of May 6th and 7th, the Indian Armed Forces targeted nine identified locations within Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) that were harboring terrorist infrastructure.
The Ministry of Defence, in an official statement, emphasized the focused, measured, and non-escalatory nature of the operation. An army spokesperson explicitly stated that “No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in the selection of targets and method of execution,” underscoring the precision and intent to solely neutralize terrorist elements.
Justifying the operation, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, during a press briefing held hours after the strikes, reiterated that ‘Operation Sindoor’ was a direct response to the horrific killings of 26 tourists in the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22nd, which India firmly attributed to Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.
Misri painted a grim picture of the Pahalgam attack, highlighting its “extreme barbarity” where victims were predominantly shot at close range in the head, often in the presence of their traumatized families. He emphasized that the manner of the killings was deliberately designed to inflict maximum psychological damage and to spread a message of fear. Furthermore, Misri pointed out the sinister motive behind the attack, which aimed to ignite communal discord within Jammu and Kashmir and across the rest of India. He lauded the resilience of the Indian government and its people in thwarting these malicious designs.
Drawing attention to intelligence inputs, Misri revealed that Indian agencies had detected impending future attacks being planned by Pakistan-based terrorist modules. This intelligence created a compelling need for India to act proactively, both to deter further acts of terror and to preemptively dismantle the infrastructure that enabled such attacks. He reiterated that India’s actions were carefully calibrated to be non-escalatory, proportionate, and responsible, with the singular objective of neutralizing terrorist capabilities.
Providing operational details, Colonel Sofyia Quereshi disclosed that the highly secretive operation commenced at 1:05 am and concluded by 1:30 am. She elaborated on Pakistan’s long-standing policy of cultivating terror infrastructure over the past three decades, describing it as a “complex web of recruitment and indoctrination centres, training areas for initial and refresher courses, and launch pads with handlers” situated in both Pakistan and PoJK.
Colonel Quereshi affirmed that the selection of the nine targets was based on credible and actionable intelligence regarding their direct involvement in perpetrating terror activities against India. She emphasized that the chosen locations were meticulously vetted to avoid any damage to civilian installations or loss of civilian lives. The strikes were executed with “precision capability,” employing “niche technology weapons” and carefully selected warheads to ensure minimal collateral damage. The point of impact at each target was specifically a building or a cluster of buildings associated with terrorist activities. Notably, no Pakistani military establishments were targeted during the operation.
While asserting India’s demonstrated restraint in its response, Colonel Quereshi also issued a firm warning, stating that “Indian Armed Forces are fully prepared to respond to Pakistani misadventure, if any, to escalate the situation.”
Commending the armed forces for the successful execution of ‘Operation Sindoor’, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hailed their actions as “scripting history.” In a statement, he unequivocally declared, “We only killed those who killed our innocents.” He underscored that India’s response was a direct exercise of its right to retaliate after the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 25 tourists and one local pony ride operator. Singh reiterated the established cross-border linkages of the terrorists and the consistent evidence pointing towards Pakistan’s involvement in numerous attacks on Indian soil.
The Defence Minister lauded the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, under whose guidance ‘Operation Sindoor’ was launched after “meticulous planning.” He emphasized that the action was deliberately restricted to targeting terrorist camps and infrastructure to effectively hit the morale of the terrorists. Singh concluded by saluting the bravery and professionalism of the Indian Armed Forces.
Reports further indicated that India employed a sophisticated array of precision weaponry for the high-impact strikes, including SCALP cruise missiles (also known as Storm Shadow), HAMMER smart bombs (Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range), and loitering munitions. The SCALP missile, with its long range exceeding 250 kilometers, is designed for deep-strike missions. The HAMMER bombs, precision-guided munitions, were utilized to destroy fortified structures like bunkers and multi-story buildings serving as training and logistics hubs for Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The deployment of loitering munitions, often referred to as “kamikaze drones,” facilitated surveillance, precise target identification, and the final strike phase, ensuring maximum accuracy and minimizing any unintended damage. The nine targeted terror camps belonged to Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), JeM, and LeT, located in areas such as Bahawalpur, Muridke, Tehra Kalan, Sialkot, Barnala, Kotli, and Muzaffarabad.