New Delhi: More than 70 terrorists were killed as India carried out missile strikes across nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir in response to the dastardly April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
It is learnt that the Indian armed forces used stand-off weapons, drones and precision munitions, besides other weapons in the strike.
The counterstrike left more than 60 terrorists injured across the nine target locations — Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Bahawalpur, Rawalakot, Chakswari, Bhimber, Neelum Valley, Jhelum, and Chakwal.
Muridke, about 30 km from Lahore, is home to a sprawling ‘markaz’ or base of the LeT. Bahawalpur is the main stronghold of the JeM. Both are in Pakistan Punjab.
The other targets — Kotli and Muzaffarabad — are regions in PoK where both LeT and JeM have for long had camps and training facilities, people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity.
The targets included Hizbul Mujahideen’s facility in Mehmoona Joya in Sialkot, LeT’s base in Markaz Ahle Hadith in Barnala and its camp in Muzaffarabad’s Shawai Nalla. India also struck at JeM’s Markaz Abbas facility in Kotli.
Codenamed ‘Operation Sindoor’, it represented a “measured, non-escalatory, proportionate, and responsible” answer to Pakistan’s continuing support of cross-border terrorism and strikes on India, the government said in a briefing Wednesday morning.
The targets were selected based on “credible intelligence input” and focused on “dismantling terrorist infrastructure and disabling terrorists”, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said in a press conference.
‘Operation Sindoor’ represented the country’s right to respond to and pre-empt cross-border terrorism, he said.
Apart from Misri, the press conference was also addressed by two women officers — Colonel Sofiya Qureshi from the Army and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh from the Air Force.
They highlighted the links between the targets and Pakistan-based terrorist groups, as well as their attacks on India.
Through the precisely coordinated missile strikes across nine terrorist-linked locations, India demonstrated that it would no longer tolerate cross-border terrorism, nor the complicity of state institutions that enable it.
The Indian Army, Navy and the Air Force, in a historic tri-services operation, carried out the strikes at 1.44 a.m. on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.
India struck bases in Pakistan and PoK from where terrorist attacks were being planned and executed.
“Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in the selection of targets and method of execution.” “We are living up to the commitment that those responsible for this attack will be held responsible,” India said in a statement.
Pakistan condemns Indian firing
The Pakistan foreign ministry condemned India’s action.
“In an unprovoked and blatant act of war, the Indian Air Force, while remaining within Indian airspace, has violated Pakistan’s sovereignty using standoff weapons, targeting civilian population across international border in Muridke and Bahawalpur, and across Line of Control in Kotli and Muzaffarabad,” it said.
It said India’s “act of aggression” has resulted in death of civilians, adding that “Pakistan reserves the right to respond appropriately at a time and place of its choosing”.
Pakistan Army spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that missile strikes were fired by India at Kotli and Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Bahawalpur in Punjab.
“All of our air force jets are airborne. This cowardly and shameful attack was carried out from within India’s airspace. They were never allowed to come and intrude into the space of Pakistan,” he said
“The Pakistani nation and the Pakistani armed forces know how to deal with the enemy very well,” Shehbaz Sharif said.
Emergency declared in Pakistan’s Punjab province
Emergency has been declared on Wednesday in Pakistan’s Punjab province even as all educational institutions closed in the wake of the Indian missile attack.
The Pakistan army said that at least 26 people were killed and 46 injured in the Indian strikes launched shortly after midnight on cities in the Punjab province and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
All security agencies, including Punjab police, have been placed on high alert. Leaves of all doctors and medical staff across hospitals in Punjab have been cancelled.
All staff have been ordered to report for duty immediately and district administrations in all districts of Punjab have also been placed on high alert.
Officers and personnel of all relevant institutions, including Civil Defence, have been summoned, it said.
The educational institutions would remain closed on Wednesday, the statement said.
The Pakistan airspace which was closed for all flight operations following the Indian attack is now partially being opened.
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