Pahalgam avenged, India strikes Pakistan

India on Wednesday carried out precision attacks on the core of Pakistan’s terror infrastructure, targeting nine sites, including terrorist training camps, launch pads and headquarters of the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Toiba, in a 25-minute strike codenamed Operation Sindoor.

The armed forces used a mix of air-launched missiles, self-destructing Kamikaze drones and artillery fire from the ground. The retaliatory action follows the “savage killing” of 25 male tourists, gunned down in front of their wives and families, and one local guide in the higher reaches of Kashmir’s Pahalgam town on April 22.

Sources said at least 70 terrorists were killed at the sites — four in Pakistan and five in Pakistan-occupied J&K. India chose the targets based on “credible intelligence” about terror camps operating at these sites, camouflaged as health centres to evade detection and circumvent sanctions from international organisations, including the Financial Action Task Force, officials said.

India said it was ready to respond to any escalation initiated by its nuclear-armed neighbour. “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 released at 1.44 am.

The airspace over north-western India—Punjab, J&K, Rajasthan and Haryana—continues to be restricted for civilian flights as fighter jets of both countries are engaged in combat patrolling and air defence mechanisms to protect vital installations.

The Indian Air Force jets carried out strikes at Muridke and Bahawalpur terror hubs while the Army hit camps at Shawai Nalla and Syedna Belal in Muzaffarabad. Gulpur and Abbas terror camps in Kotli, Barnala camp in Bhimber, Sarjal and Mehmoona Joya camps in Sialkot were also targeted.

At a briefing, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said India exercised its right to respond to and pre-empt cross-border threats. “The actions were measured, non-escalatory, proportionate and responsible. They focused on dismantling the terrorist infrastructure and disabling terrorists likely to be sent across to India,” said Misri.

Col Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, who accompanied Misri, said no civilian targets or military installations were hit. “The operation was carried out between 1.05 am and 1.30 am on Wednesday,” said Colonel Qureshi, showing videos of the strikes recorded by Indian surveillance systems.

Wing Commander Singh said the Indian armed forces were “fully prepared to respond to Pakistani misadventures, which could escalate the situation”.

“It was deemed essential that the perpetrators and planners of the Pahalgam attack be brought to justice. Despite a fortnight having passed since the massacre, there was no demonstrable step from Pakistan to act against the terror infrastructure on its territory or on the territory under its control. Instead, all it has indulged in are denials and allegations,” said Misri.

The Foreign Secretary said Pakistan-trained terrorists belonging to the Lashkar-e-Toiba carried out the Pahalgam attack. “The attack was clearly driven by the objective of undermining normalcy returning to J&K. In particular, it was designed to impact the mainstay of the economy (tourism), with a record 23 million tourists visiting the Valley last year,” he said.

Lashkar offshoot The Resistance Front (TRF) had claimed responsibility for the attack. Misri said India had given inputs about the TRF in its half-yearly report to the monitoring team of the UN’s 1267 Sanctions Committee in May and November 2024, bringing out its role as a cover for Pakistan-based terrorist groups.

The LeT’s nerve centre in Muridke, about 30 km from Lahore, was hit four times in quick succession during the operation, said the officials. Muridke, the base of the terror group since 1990, is where Ajmal Kasab and nine other terrorists were trained ahead of the 26/11 terror siege of Mumbai. Besides, 26/11 accused David Headley and Tahawwur Rana also visited the LeT hub.

The Markaz (centre) Taiba at Muridke, dubbed a “terror factory”, is the most important training centre for the LeT. Recruits, officials said, are brainwashed, given physical training and a two-week-long indoctrination course. Around 1,000 students in different courses get enrolled in this camp, they said. The other big ticket target was Bahawalpur, which became the hub of the JeM after the release of Masood Azhar in exchange for the hijacked passengers of IC-814 in 1999.

The group has since been involved in a series of terror attacks in India, including the Parliament attack in 2001, the strike on the Jammu and Kashmir assembly in 2000, the attack on the IAF base in Pathankot in 2016 and the Pulwama suicide bombing in 2019.

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