Bureau, May 7, 2025 – In a bold and unprecedented military operation, India launched coordinated missile strikes on nine terrorist infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) early Wednesday, May 7, in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack that killed 26 civilians, including 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen. Dubbed "Operation Sindoor," the strikes targeted senior leadership and facilities of Pakistan-based militant groups Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which India holds responsible for the massacre in Kashmir’s Baisaran meadow. The operation marks the most significant cross-border military action between the nuclear-armed neighbors in over two decades, raising fears of further escalation.
The Indian Ministry of Defence confirmed the strikes at 1:44 AM IST, stating that the operation was a "focused, measured, and non-escalatory" response to the Pahalgam attack. "A little while ago, the Indian Armed Forces launched 'Operation Sindoor,' hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed," the ministry said in a statement. The nine targeted sites included key terror facilities such as Markaz Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur and Markaz Taiba in Muridke, both linked to JeM and LeT, as well as other locations in Kotli, Ahmadpur East, Muzaffarabad, Bagh, Sialkot, Bhimber, and Tehra Kalan. The ministry emphasized that no Pakistani military facilities were targeted, underscoring India’s restraint in the selection of targets and execution of the strikes.
Operation Sindoor was a joint effort by the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force, employing precision strike weapon systems, including loitering munitions, with all attacks launched from Indian soil. Intelligence agencies provided the coordinates for the targets, ensuring the strikes hit senior leadership of JeM and LeT, groups India accuses of orchestrating the Pahalgam attack. The operation’s name, "Sindoor," holds symbolic significance, reflecting the vermilion powder used in Hindu marriage ceremonies, as several victims of the Pahalgam attack were young Indians in Kashmir to celebrate their weddings, including Navy Lt. Vinay Narwal. A viral photo of Narwal’s grieving widow, marked with sindoor, had evoked strong national sentiment, fueling calls for decisive action.
Pakistan swiftly condemned the strikes, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif calling them a "blatant act of war" and vowing a "befitting reply." Pakistan’s military reported that the strikes killed eight people and injured 33, though it denied that any of the targeted sites were militant camps, claiming civilian areas were hit. In Muzaffarabad, the capital of PoK, residents reported multiple loud explosions, with damage visible at the Bilal Mosque, where a minaret collapsed in a hillside residential neighborhood. Other locations hit included a religious seminary in Bahawalpur and a site near Muridke in Punjab province, both associated with JeM and LeT, according to Indian sources. Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry accused India of launching the attacks from within its own airspace, posing a threat to commercial air traffic, and warned that the "reckless escalation has brought the two nuclear-armed states closer to a major conflict."
In response, Pakistan claimed to have shot down five Indian fighter jets, though India has not confirmed any losses. Local sources in Indian Kashmir reported that three Indian jets crashed in separate areas of the region during the night, with the pilots hospitalized, but the Indian Defence Ministry has denied these reports. Pakistan’s military spokesperson, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, stated, "All of our air force jets are airborne. This cowardly attack will not go unanswered." Pakistan also closed its airspace for 48 hours, disrupting air travel, while India conducted nationwide civil defense drills, and schools in Pakistan’s Punjab province were shuttered.
The operation follows a series of diplomatic and economic measures by India against Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam attack, which targeted Hindu tourists in a selective killing spree attributed to The Resistance Front (TRF), a group India links to LeT. India had already canceled the 2021 ceasefire agreement, suspended the 65-year-old Indus Waters Treaty, and revoked visa services for Pakistani nationals, giving them a 72-hour deadline to leave the country. Pakistan retaliated by closing its airspace to Indian aircraft, sealing the Wagah border, and suspending all bilateral agreements, including the Simla Agreement, while warning that any water diversion would be treated as an "act of war."
The strikes have drawn mixed reactions domestically and internationally. In India, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hailed the operation on X, posting, "Victory to Mother India! Bharat Mata Ki Jai," while the Indian Army declared, "Justice is served. Jai Hind!" Former Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria (Retd) described the strikes as a necessary response to the "heinous terrorist strike at Pahalgam," noting that the operation successfully targeted nine terrorist sites. A local from Mumbai told ANI, "Our blood has been boiling, and there should be even greater action against Pakistan. We stand with PM Modi and the country." However, opposition leaders like AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, while condemning the Pahalgam attack, criticized the government for failing to deploy adequate security despite prior intelligence reports, calling for unity to defeat Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.
Globally, the strikes have heightened concerns about a potential conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. U.S. President Donald Trump, commenting on the situation, said, "It’s a shame. They’ve been fighting for many decades, and I just hope it ends very quickly." The United Nations warned that the "world cannot afford an India-Pakistan confrontation," urging both sides to de-escalate. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who arrived in New Delhi on May 7 after visiting Islamabad, is attempting to mediate between the two nations.
The Pahalgam attack and India’s subsequent actions have reignited the long-standing Kashmir conflict, which has been a flashpoint since the 1947 partition. India controls 55% of the region, Pakistan 30%, and China 15%, with both India and Pakistan claiming the entirety of the former princely state. The region has seen three wars and numerous skirmishes, with cross-border terrorism remaining a persistent issue. India’s 2019 revocation of Kashmir’s autonomy had temporarily reduced militancy, but the Pahalgam attack shattered that narrative, exposing ongoing vulnerabilities.
