Operation Sindoor: India Strikes 9 Sites in Pakistan; PoK Used to Direct Terror Activities.

In response to the Pahalgam terror incident, which killed 26 civilians two weeks ago, India carried out precision attacks on “terrorist sites” at nine targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on Wednesday.

The defense ministry claimed early Wednesday that the armed forces struck sites “from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed” as part of the “Operation Sindoor” operation.

Our actions have been concentrated, measured, and non-escalatory in character,” the defence ministry stated in a statement issued at 1.44 a.m., without providing any specific targets.

“No Pakistani military facilities were targeted. “India has shown considerable restraint in its target selection and execution method,” it stated.

The strikes occurred “in the aftermath of the barbaric Pahalgam terrorist attack,” which killed 25 Indians and a Nepalese civilian. “We are living up to the commitment that those responsible for this attack will be held accountable,” according to a statement.

At 2.46 a.m., Defence Minister Rajnath Singh posted on social media, “Bharat Mata ki jai (Long live Mother India).” About an hour earlier, the Indian Army stated in a different social media post: “#PahalgamTerrorAttack Justice is Served. Jai Hind!”

According to the Pakistani Prime Minister’s Office, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated that India launched a “cowardly attack on five places.” Pakistan has “every right to respond appropriately to this act of war imposed by India,” Sharif added.

In a statement, Pakistan’s foreign ministry denounced the strikes as a “unprovoked and blatant act of war” and stated that Islamabad “reserves the right to respond appropriately at a time and place of its choosing”. It claimed that the Indian Air Force (IAF) “violated Pakistan’s sovereignty by using standoff weapons” while “remaining within Indian airspace”.

The strikes took place “across [the] international border” on Muridke and Bahawalpur in Punjab province, as well as across the Line of Control on Kotli and Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, according to a foreign ministry statement.

Muridke, a short distance from Lahore, is home to a huge “markaz” or base of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), whereas Bahawalpur is the major stronghold of Jaish-e-Mohammed. Kotli and Muzaffarabad are PoK regions where both the LeT and the JeM have long had camps and training facilities, according to sources acquainted with the situation. According to the residents, the strikes targeted terrorist launch sites two to six kilometers from the LoC, as well as terrorist compounds eight to sixteen kilometers behind the launch pads.

The name of the action, Operation Sindoor, refers to the crimson vermillion that many Hindu women wear in their hair to indicate their marital status. During the Pahalgam terror assault, numerous women’s husbands were slaughtered in front of them. They included an Indian Navy officer who was on his honeymoon just days after his nuptials.

According to Pakistan’s foreign ministry, the strikes killed an indeterminate number of civilians, including women and children, and “caused grave threat to commercial air traffic”. It continued: “We strongly condemn India’s cowardly action, which is a flagrant violation of the UN Charter, international law, and established norms of inter-state relations.”

The foreign ministry restated Pakistan’s assertions that the Pahalgam terror attack was utilized by India’s leadership to promote a “sham narrative of victimhood” and endanger regional peace and security.

“India’s reckless action has brought the two nuclear-armed states closer to a major conflict,” the foreign ministry claimed. On Wednesday at 10 a.m., Pakistan’s prime minister called a meeting of the National Security Committee, the country’s highest decision-making body on security issues, which includes the service chiefs.

According to a statement made by the Indian embassy in the United States, there are “credible leads, technical inputs, testimony of survivors, and other evidence pointing towards the clear involvement of Pakistan-based terrorists” in the Pahalgam terror incident.

“It was expected that Pakistan would act against terrorists and the infrastructure that supports them. Instead, throughout the last two weeks, Pakistan has denied and accused India of false flag operations,” according to the statement.

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval briefed US NSA and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the strikes shortly after they took place. According to the persons described above, senior Indian officials briefed their counterparts in the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Russia.

At the White House, US President Donald Trump called the developments a “shame”. He went on to say, “I guess people knew something was going to happen based on what had happened before. They’ve been battling for a while…Now all I can do is pray that it ends soon.”

The Pahalgam terror attack was the biggest assault on civilians in Jammu and Kashmir in nearly two decades, as well as the worst terror act in India since the LeT-led Mumbai attacks in 2008.

Tensions between India and Pakistan rose as New Delhi announced a host of economic, diplomatic, and political retaliatory measures, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and the closing of Attari, the only functioning land border crossing, over “cross-border linkages” to the attack. Pakistan responded by blocking its airspace to Indian airliners and suspending all trade, and its armed forces conducted military drills, including missile tests.

Last Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi granted India’s armed forces “complete operational freedom” to determine the mode, targets, and timing of its reaction to the Pahalgam terror incident.

In response to the Indian army’s several strikes on terror facilities, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge stated, “India has an unflinching National Policy against all forms of terrorism emanating from Pakistan and PoK.”

“We are tremendously proud of our Indian Armed Forces for capturing terrorist camps in Pakistan and PoK. We appreciate their unwavering determination and courage. Since the Pahalgam Terror Attack, the Indian National Congress has consistently supported the Armed Forces and the Government in taking immediate action against cross-border terrorism. National unity and solidarity are essential, and the Indian National Congress supports our Armed Forces. Our leaders have demonstrated the way in the past, and the national interest is paramount for us,” Kharge wrote on X.

In a post on X, a senior Congress leader stated that the party supports the government’s response to the Pahalgam terror assault.

“India’s commitment to eliminate all roots of terrorism in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir must be unwavering and always based on the highest national interest. This is a period of togetherness and solidarity. Since the night of April 22nd, the INC has consistently stated that the government will have our entire support in the nation’s response to the Pahalgam terror assault. “The INC is firmly supporting our armed forces,” Ramesh tweeted on X.