In a swift and targeted response to the April 22 terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam, the Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor, destroying nine terrorist camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), officials confirmed on Tuesday.
The precision strikes, carried out between 1:05 a.m. and 1:30 a.m., were described by the government as “measured, proportionate, and non-escalatory.” According to armed forces officials, four camps were located in Pakistan, and five in PoJK, all targeted based on “credible intelligence inputs.”
“This operation was launched to deliver justice to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and their families,” said Colonel Sofiya Qureshi at a press conference in New Delhi, flanked by Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.
“Nine terrorist camps were targeted and successfully destroyed.”
Targets Linked to Lashkar and Jaish
Among the sites hit were Markaz Taiba in Muridke — the headquarters of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba — and camps such as Sawai Nala in Muzaffarabad and Gulpur, both associated with past and recent attacks on Indian civilians and pilgrims.
“These locations are central to the recruitment, indoctrination, and launching of terrorists,” Wing Commander Singh said. “Over the last three decades, Pakistan has established a network of such camps across its territory and in PoJK.”
Officials emphasized that civilian areas were strictly avoided in the operation.
“The engagement was carried out with utmost diligence,” Col Qureshi added. “Our objective was to neutralize facilities directly involved in cross-border terrorism.”
OPERATION SINDOOR#JusticeServed
Target 1 – Abbas Terrorist Camp at Kotli.
Distance – 13 Km from Line of Control (POJK).
Nerve Centre for training suicide bombers of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Key training infrastructure for over 50 terrorists.
DESTROYED AT 1.04 AM on 07 May 2025.… pic.twitter.com/OBF4gTNA8q
— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) May 7, 2025
Diplomatic Fallout
Foreign Secretary Misri accused Pakistan of shielding terror outfits like The Resistance Front (TRF) — which claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack — and of obstructing global efforts to hold them accountable.
“Pakistan’s pressure on the UN Security Council to remove references to TRF in the April 25 statement is telling,” Misri said, adding that India had submitted evidence linking TRF to both Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.
Calling the Pahalgam killings “barbaric,” Misri said many victims — tourists and civilians — were shot in the head at close range, a tactic aimed at crippling Kashmir’s booming tourism industry, which attracted 23 million visitors in 2023.
Pakistan Denies Claims Civilian Casualties
Pakistan denied the existence of any terror infrastructure on its soil and accused India of violating its airspace. Pakistani authorities claimed six sites were struck, killing eight civilians, including a child. They also claimed to have shot down Indian aircraft and captured prisoners — allegations India has not acknowledged.
The Indian Embassy in Washington dismissed Islamabad’s assertions as “baseless,” stating that the operation was a “focused counter-terrorism strike, not a military escalation.”
Global Reactions and Strategic Message
While China and the UAE called for restraint, the UN Secretary-General’s office stated that it was closely monitoring the situation.
Foreign Secretary Misri underscored that Operation Sindoor was both retaliatory and pre-emptive.
“Our intelligence had identified further planned attacks,” he said. “This was a necessary and restrained response aimed at dismantling terrorist infrastructure.”
He added that India had shared actionable intelligence with key international partners and reiterated its commitment to combating cross-border terrorism.
“The message is clear,” Col Qureshi concluded. “There will be consequences for attacks on Indian civilians. Our response will be swift, just, and targeted.”
Ravi Shankar
Dr Ravi Shankar has over two decades of experience in communications, print journalism, electronic media, documentary film making and new media.
He makes regular appearances on national television news channels as a commentator and analyst on current and political affairs. Apart from being an acknowledged Journalist, he has been a passionate newsroom manager bringing a wide range of journalistic experience from past associations with India’s leading media conglomerates (Times of India group and India Today group) and had led global news-gathering operations at world’s biggest multimedia news agency- ANI-Reuters. He has covered Parliament extensively over the past several years. Widely traveled, he has covered several summits as part of media delegation accompanying the Indian President, Vice President, Prime Minister, External Affairs Minister and Finance Minister across Asia, Africa and Europe.
