Modi drops bombs, UPA dropped the ball: How India targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and established a new deterrence through ‘Operation Sindoor’
It was a very pleasant evening on April 22nd at the Baisaran valley of Pahalgham, which hides itself right under the snow-capped peaks of the mighty Himalayas. Being known as Indian Switzerland, it attracts an equal number of tourists and nature lovers from across the world. However, things turned horrific when men with skull caps and long beards with machine guns appeared, shouting ‘Allah o Akbar’ and terrifying tourists, asking them about their religion.
Hindus and Muslims were separated. Hindu men were shot down while women and children were left behind – they were left alive because they wanted witnesses to their barbarism. They were asked to “go tell Modi”. The terrorists asked the Hindu victims to recite the Kalma, and some were asked to strip to confirm their religious identity. When they failed to recite the Islamic prayer, they were massacred.
The massacre of Hindus in Pahalgam reminds one of the holocaust that Kashmir had witnessed in 1990. Pakistan-based Islamic terrorist organisation The Resistant Front, which is an offshoot of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, owned up to the assault.
It is an open account that all Islamic terrorist organisations or independent terrorists that operate from Pakistan or the Pakistani Occupied Kashmir are non-state actors, supported by the Pakistani administration. They are fed and bred by none other than the chiefs of the Pakistan Army themselves. This has been a disciplined practice, irrespective of whoever becomes the Army Chief, ever since the inception of Pakistan. Likewise, the intelligence arm of the Army, ISI, plays the role of facilitator. Every major terrorist attack that has occurred in India over time has an established link to either of the Pakistan-based Islamist terror organisations such as Al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hizbul Mujahideen, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Indian Mujahideen, to name a few.
However, it has been a very different scenario ever since the Modi-led NDA assumed power. The Indian forces started to respond with action. The first attack took place on September 18, 2016, when terrorists linked to the JeM attacked the Indian Army base at Uri, killing 19 of our soldiers and injuring 30 others. India vowed to avenge and, within 10 days, on September 28, carried out a surgical strike, devastating terrorist camps and launchpads.
The second attack took place on February 14, 2019. A suicide bomber, again linked to JeM, attacked a convoy of CRPF personnel at Pulwama, killing 40 of them. India pledged to avenge and, on February 26, launched ‘Operation Bundar.’ Twelve fighter jets of the Indian Air Force streaked 20 km past the LOC, demolishing JeM training camps and killing an undisclosed number of terrorists.
The third Islamist attack happened on April 22 at Pahalgam. This time, it wasn’t on the forces but on Indian civilians. It was the first time under the Modi regime that civilians were attacked, making it certain that the response would be unlike ever before. Modi, speaking at a public meeting, confirmed the same. Accordingly, India acted.
The very next day, the Modi government’s first brave step was suspending the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 and closing the Integrated Check Post at Attari. Following this, at 1 AM on May 7, 2025, ‘Operation Sindoor’ was initiated to target terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and POJK from where attacks were being directed. Nine crucial sites were chosen and demolished, carefully selected to dismantle Islamist terrorist networks. These included groups like LeT, JeM, and Hizbul Mujahideen.
One site at Markaz Subhanallah, Bahawalpur, was closely linked to past attacks, including the 2019 Pulwama bombing, and housed JeM chief Masood Azhar. Another, Markaz Taiba in Muridke, was LeT’s largest training centre, enrolling around 1,000 individuals annually for arms training, religious indoctrination, and radicalisation. Osama bin Laden had also contributed to it. It trained perpetrators of the 26/11 attacks, including Ajmal Kasab and David Headley. All seven other sites had similar terror significance.
The military’s action was focused, measured, and non-escalatory – similar, but ten times more impactful than the Balakot strikes – killing over 100 terrorists. This marked the ceasefire point from India’s side. The operation was completed at 1:44 AM on May 7, and there was no plan for escalation. But Pakistan demanded more.
India’s efficient action had not only hurt the inefficient Pakistani Army but also their terrorist masters. To prove otherwise to their citizens and satisfy their egos, they launched coordinated missile and drone attacks on Indian military bases and civilian areas, causing casualties and damaging Gurdwaras, temples, and other institutions. They also threatened nuclear retaliation and misled the world with blatant lies.
What do you expect the world’s largest democracy to do? Sit and watch the fallacy like the UPA governments did earlier?
The new India’s military had no choice but to retaliate, and the brave Indian government gave them full power to protect the nation’s sovereignty and integrity.
Indian forces then did what they were meant for. In ninety minutes on May 10, at least 11 Pakistani airbases were turned to dust. Lahore, Rawalpindi, Karachi – none were out of reach. Missiles like BrahMos were launched, made-in-India drones flew far and hit targets, and Rafales and fighter jets, meant for more than airshows, came out to show their fierceness. The swift Indian retaliation crippled Pakistan’s Air Force, even damaging its nuclear facilities. The INS sailed like a sea monster across the ocean. Pakistan realised that if India wasn’t stopped, Islamabad would fall. They knelt before INDIA.
Lacking the courage to speak to India directly, they cried before the world. They approached several nations to speak on their behalf. Most declined. But the USA, driven by its instinct to be the ‘Big Daddy’ of the world, agreed to try. When the US contacted India, it was clearly told: ‘India has not been involved in any act of war but has only responded to Pakistani Army aggression.’ They were also told that ‘Operation Sindoor’ ended the moment its mission concluded on May 7, but Pakistan escalated matters afterwards. India was forced to act. The US was politely advised to let Pakistan reach out directly to India.
Obliged to India’s position, the US asked the Pakistani Ambassador to instruct his DGMO to contact the Indian DGMO to seek an understanding on ‘Operation Sindoor’ – a pause in aggression until a resolution. The call was made, and words were exchanged officially.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump tried to gain brownie points. He jumped the gun, claiming he was responsible for conflict resolution and that both India and Pakistan had agreed to a ceasefire. He also claimed he would mediate in Kashmir in the future. But Pakistan, like a dog with a crooked tail, obeyed for just 100 minutes before violating the so-called ‘ceasefire,’ which was never official. However, India, as per its original plan, paused its action and appealed to Pakistan to refrain from aggression.
Late that night, Pakistan’s Prime Minister held a presser, thanking everybody in the world for saving them from being buried. But India’s position remained the same as declared on May 7 and reaffirmed in every press conference since.
On May 11, in a meeting with defence heads, Indian forces were given full authority again. Modi reportedly said, ‘Udar se goli ayega to idar gola jayega,’ making it clear that India wouldn’t tolerate Pakistan’s misadventures. A joint press conference followed, where it was conveyed: ‘There is no ceasefire or agreement between India and Pakistan – only an understanding that both sides would refrain from aggression.’
However, it was strongly stated that ‘India would continue its aggression, in a more blatant way, if Pakistan breaches what they have themselves spoken.’
Now, why is the Congress blabbering? The party that failed to avenge over 25 attacks with more than a thousand lives lost in just ten years – do they have the morality to speak now? The party appealing for a special parliamentary session should first explain why no such session was held during similar terror crises while they were in power. The best favour Congress can do at this juncture is to just shut up.
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