India Foils Pakistani Strike on Golden Temple

Amritsar Under Fire: Inside the Army’s Decisive Response to Pakistan’s Failed Air Assault on the Golden Temple

 

In a tense briefing held at the 15th Infantry Division headquarters on Monday, Major General Kartik C Seshadri, the General Officer Commanding (GOC), revealed that India had successfully thwarted a major Pakistani attempt to strike the Golden Temple with drones and long-range missiles in the early hours of May 8. The attack, described as a retaliatory move following India’s precision strikes on nine terrorist launchpads in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), was comprehensively anticipated and neutralised by India’s air defence grid.

Standing before a roomful of reporters and defence attachés, Major General Seshadri left little ambiguity about the gravity of the attempted provocation. “Pakistan does not possess legitimate military targets for retaliation,” he said bluntly. “We had anticipated they would resort to symbolic strikes on civilian or religious infrastructure. The Golden Temple, being a revered and iconic landmark, was always a likely target.”

It was this precise anticipation, he explained, that allowed the Indian Army to pre-empt Pakistan’s intent and ring-fence the temple with an integrated air defence shield. “We deployed additional modern air defence assets to create a holistic and layered protective umbrella around the Golden Temple and key urban centres in Punjab,” the General said.

As per operational details shared during the briefing, the assault began under the cover of darkness at approximately 3:40 a.m. on May 8. Pakistani forces launched a coordinated wave of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and long-range precision missiles targeting key Indian cities and military facilities—Amritsar, Jammu, Srinagar, Pathankot, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Chandigarh, and Bhuj were all within the crosshairs. However, it was the attempted targeting of the Golden Temple that most sharply defined the escalation.

In a matter-of-fact tone that belied the seriousness of the incident, Major General Seshadri said, “Our air defence gunners were fully alert. Every single threat directed at the Golden Temple was detected and neutralised. Not a single drone or missile breached our defences. The sanctity of the Golden Temple was preserved without even a scratch.”

The Army later conducted a live demonstration for the press, showcasing the effectiveness of systems such as the AKASH surface-to-air missile system, the L-70 anti-aircraft guns, and the Integrated Counter-UAS Grid, all of which played a pivotal role in intercepting and destroying enemy assets mid-air.

The Defence Ministry, in a statement released earlier, confirmed that the attempted strike was Pakistan’s response to Operation Sindoor, India’s deep-penetration military operation that targeted nine terrorist camps across the Line of Control on May 5–6. That operation was itself a retaliatory measure for the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians.

While the Army's response has reassured the public, Monday’s revelations underscore the volatile security dynamics in the region. The attempted attack on one of India’s most sacred sites marks a dangerous escalation, blurring the line between military engagement and sacrilegious provocation.

When asked about the implications of targeting a religious site, Major General Seshadri’s response was terse but telling: “This wasn’t just an attack on a structure. It was an attack on our spirit. But we were ready.”

As tensions simmer, the Indian security establishment remains on high alert. But for now, the Golden Temple stands untouched, a symbol of faith and resilience—shielded not only by divinity but by the unwavering vigilance of India’s defenders.