In the early hours of Wednesday, May 7, 2025, the Indian Armed Forces executed "Operation Sindoor," a series of precision missile strikes targeting terrorist infrastructure within Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK). This operation was a direct response to the devastating terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, on April 22, 2025, which claimed the lives of 25 Indian citizens and one Nepali citizen.
The strikes, carried out around 1 am, involved 24 precision missile attacks on nine identified terror targets. These locations included strongholds of prominent terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Muridke and Bahawalpur respectively. Other targeted locations included Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Rawalakot, Chakswari, Bhimber, Neelum Valley, Jhelum, and Chakwal.
Indian sources report that the operation resulted in the deaths of over 70 terrorists and left more than 60 wounded, significantly degrading the operational capabilities of these terror outfits. JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar claimed that 10 members of his family and four of his aides were among those killed in the strikes.
The Ministry of Defence released a statement confirming the targeting of terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK, which they stated were being used to plan and direct terrorist attacks against India. Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh asserted that India had exercised its sovereign right to respond to the Pahalgam attack with a strong and precise counter-strike, emphasizing that the operation was carried out with surgical precision to avoid civilian casualties. Wing Commander Vyomika Singh also stated that the targeted sites were selected to avoid damage to civilian infrastructure and loss of civilian lives.
Pakistani officials, however, presented a different account, stating that the Indian military attacked six locations, launching 24 strikes that resulted in the deaths of at least eight people and injuries to over 35. They claimed that the deadliest strike hit a mosque compound near Bahawalpur, killing at least five people, including a three-year-old girl. They also reported that two mosques were destroyed in Muzaffarabad and Kotli, resulting in the deaths of a 16-year-old girl and an 18-year-old boy.
Following the strikes, Pakistan reportedly resorted to cross-border shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir, targeting civilian areas in the Karnah area. The Indian armed forces retaliated effectively against this unprovoked firing.
The strikes took place hours before a planned security drill across 244 districts in India, intended to ensure "effective civil defence in the event of a hostile attack". Prime Minister Narendra Modi had previously vowed to pursue the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack and those involved in its conspiracy, promising punishment "beyond their imagination".
The family of a Pahalgam terror attack victim from Andhra Pradesh welcomed "Operation Sindoor", calling it a justified and focused response to terrorism that avoided harming Pakistani citizens. However, the operation has led to heightened cross-border tensions, causing the Indian rupee to depreciate. Uttar Pradesh declared a red alert following "Operation Sindoor".
