New Delhi, May 7
In a bold and calibrated military move, India has struck at the heart of Pakistan-based terror infrastructure, targeting well-known training camps in Muridke and Bahawalpur in a joint operation conducted by the Indian Army, Air Force, and Navy.
The highly coordinated operation -- codenamed Operation Sindoor -- was launched in the early hours of Wednesday and lasted just 25 minutes. Between 1.05 a.m. and 1.30 a.m., Indian forces unleashed 24 missiles that precisely hit nine terror facilities across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), killing an estimated 70 terrorists.
Government sources said that extreme care was taken to avoid civilian and military installations, underlining the non-escalatory and proportionate nature of the strikes.
Only verified terror camps were targeted, including the Lashkar-e-Taiba headquarters in Muridke and key facilities in Bahawalpur -- both long identified as hubs of extremist training and indoctrination.
At a press briefing in New Delhi, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, flanked by senior defence officers Colonel Sophia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, described the action as a "measured and proportionate" response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam. That attack, attributed to Pakistan-backed groups, claimed 26 lives, including that of a Nepali national, and left many more injured.
Colonel Qureshi said the operation represented a strategic shift in India's approach to cross-border terrorism. "For over three decades, Pakistan has systematically built terror infrastructure across PoJK and its own territory -- including recruitment centres, training camps, and launch pads. This operation was aimed at dismantling those very foundations."
Foreign Secretary Misri said India acted on credible intelligence suggesting further terror plots were being hatched.
"Our response was compelled by the need to deter and prevent future attacks. This morning's strikes were precise, proportionate, and responsible -- focused solely on neutralising terror threats."
While all three services deployed weapons in the operation, officials declined to disclose specific details about the platforms or munitions used in the strike.
The operation marks one of India's most significant cross-border military actions since the Balakot air strikes of 2019, signalling a continued doctrine of pre-emptive defence in response to state-backed terrorism.
- IANS