India Strikes Terror Camps, Pak Confirms Hit

India Strikes Back: Operation Sindoor Targets Terror Camps in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir Following Pahalgam Massacre

In a decisive retaliatory action that underscores India’s red lines on cross-border terrorism, the Indian Armed Forces, in the early hours of Wednesday, launched precision missile and air strikes on nine identified terrorist infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), including a key compound in Bahawalpur—long considered the headquarters of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror outfit.

Carried out under the codename Operation Sindoor, the strikes came barely two weeks after the gruesome Pahalgam massacre, in which 26 people, including 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen, were brutally killed in a terror attack that sent shockwaves across the nation and drew widespread international condemnation.

The Ministry of Defence, in a statement released at 1:44 a.m., confirmed the operation. “These actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature,” the statement read, emphasising that no Pakistani military infrastructure was targeted. “India has demonstrated considerable restraint in the selection of targets and method of execution.”

According to highly placed sources within the Indian security establishment, precision-guided munitions were used to strike three key sites each in Bahawalpur (Punjab province), Kotli and Muzaffarabad (PoK)—regions known to harbour deep terror networks run by groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba. All strikes were executed from within Indian airspace, utilising stand-off missile platforms to avoid aerial engagement.

 

 

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, in a post on social media platform 'X', declared in Hindi: “Bharat Mata Ki Jai! Long live Mother India!”, shortly after the first wave of strikes.

Top defence sources confirmed that the entire operation was overseen in real-time by the Chief of Defence Staff and the heads of the Army, Navy and Air Force, from a classified war room in South Block. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who chaired a high-level security review meeting on April 29, had granted the armed forces “complete operational freedom” to respond with full force and precision.

This is the most significant Indian military action across the Line of Control since the 2019 Balakot air strikes. Officials familiar with operational planning described the strikes as “surgical in nature” and “calibrated to avoid escalation while delivering a clear message.”

In a rare public admission, Pakistan’s military spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry confirmed the Indian missile attacks, stating that the strikes had hit areas in Kotli and Muzaffarabad (in PoK) and Bahawalpur in Punjab. Speaking to ARY News, Chaudhry claimed the strikes were conducted from Indian airspace and asserted that Pakistani air defences had been scrambled. “This cowardly and shameful attack was carried out from within India's airspace. They were never allowed to intrude,” he said, warning that “Pakistan will respond at a time and place of its choosing.”

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described the Indian action as an “act of war” and vowed retaliation. “We will give a befitting reply to this heinous provocation,” he said in a televised address, even as emergency meetings were convened in Islamabad.

However, Indian officials have reiterated that the strikes were not aimed at provoking full-scale conflict, but were a necessary counter-terrorism operation designed to neutralise specific threats that had already inflicted mass civilian casualties.

“Justice is served,” the Indian Army posted on ‘X’ after the operation’s successful conclusion.

All Indian air defence systems along the western frontier have been placed on high alert, and the situation remains under tight surveillance. Intelligence sources have confirmed that intercepts and satellite imagery were used to validate the presence of active terror operatives and logistics hubs before the strikes were authorised.

The broader geopolitical implications of Operation Sindoor are still unfolding, with initial reactions from Western capitals indicating cautious support for India’s right to self-defence in the face of persistent terrorism. Diplomatic backchannelshave reportedly been activated, with New Delhi sharing pre- and post-strike intelligence with key partners.

Indian officials are also expected to brief the United Nations and key G20 allies in the coming hours, underlining the non-military and counter-terror focus of the operation.

With this bold action, India has signalled its unwavering commitment to rooting out terrorism at its source, making clear that massacres like Pahalgam will not go unanswered.

 

Ceasefire Breached: Pakistan Opens Artillery Fire After Indian Strikes

Hours after India executed Operation Sindoor, targeting terror camps deep inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Punjab province, the Pakistan Army violated the ceasefire agreement by initiating unprovoked artillery shelling in the Bhimber Gali sector along the Poonch-Rajouri axis in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to an official statement, the Indian Army is responding in a "calibrated and appropriate" manner, ensuring that escalation is avoided while maintaining operational dominance on the ground.

The renewed ceasefire violation is being viewed in New Delhi as a retaliatory tactic by Pakistan following the Indian strikes that successfully hit multiple high-value terror infrastructure nodes in Kotli, Muzaffarabad, and Bahawalpur.

Defence sources have confirmed that forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC) have been placed on heightened alert, and counter-battery measures have been activated to neutralise any cross-border aggression.

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