"It felt like the sky turned red," a resident of Muridke in Pakistan recounted, describing the scene as India conducted precision air strikes on terror camps early Wednesday morning. The strikes, which occurred around 1:44 AM, shattered the night's calm with loud explosions. This action, codenamed Operation Sindoor, was a response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that resulted in the deaths of 26 people.
The witness described the attack, stating, "It was around 12:45 in the night. We were asleep…one drone came first, followed by three other drones, and they attacked the mosques…everything is destroyed". The strikes targeted nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK). Indian sources reported that over 80 terrorists linked to banned organizations such as Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Hizbul Mujahideen were killed in the operation.
India has briefed the U.S., the U.K., Saudi Arabia, UAE and Russia after striking targets in Pakistan's Punjab province and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) early Wednesday (May 7, 2025) morning, government sources said. The Ministry of External Affairs stated that India had “credible leads” and eyewitness accounts that identified the terrorists and evidence towards the involvement of Pakistan-based terror groups, and that those were the targets.
Operation Sindoor involved air, naval, and ground-based assets and lasted for approximately 25 minutes. Four of the targeted sites were located inside Pakistan, while the remaining five were in POK. India Today reported that elements of the Pakistani Army, ISI, and Special Services Group (SSG) were allegedly involved in supporting the terrorist training infrastructure.
Pakistan has condemned the strikes, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif calling it a "blatant act of war" and asserting the country's right to retaliate. Pakistani officials stated that 26 civilians were killed and 46 others were injured in the strikes. Following the strikes, Pakistan launched heavy cross-border shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border in Jammu and Kashmir, prompting a response in kind from Indian forces.
Witnesses in Bahawalpur reported seeing a bright light in the sky moments before a powerful explosion. A spokesperson for the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the strikes hit Muridke and Bahawalpur, and across the Line of Control in Kotli and Muzaffarabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The spokesperson added that "India's act of aggression has resulted in martyrdom of civilians, including women and children," and that it posed a "grave threat to commercial air traffic".
Amidst rising tensions, several flights between Taiwan and Europe were disrupted or canceled, and authorities in Indian-controlled Kashmir shut Srinagar city's airport for civilian flights. The strikes have triggered international concern, with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calling for maximum restraint from both sides, emphasizing that "the world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan". Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated that India is justified in striking terror infrastructure in Pakistan and that, "No nation should have to accept terrorist attacks being launched against it from land controlled by another country. There can be no impunity for terrorists".
