What is the Malir Cantonment in Karachi that India hit during Operation Sindoor?

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12-05-2025

The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Sunday revealed that it carried out a strike on Malir cantonment in Karachi during Operation Sindoor. Air Marshal AK Bharti, the Director-General of Operations for the IAF, made the announcement in a special briefing. But what do we know about the cantonment? Why is it important? read more
From Left to Right: Air Marshal AK Bharti, Director General (DG) of Air Force Operations, DG of Military Operations Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, and DG of Naval Operations, Vice Admiral AN Pramod at a press briefing for Operation Sindoor.
On Sunday, India made a big revelation.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) carried out a strike on Malir cantonment in Karachi during Operation Sindoor.
Air Marshal AK Bharti, the Director-General of Operations for the IAF, made the announcement in in a special briefing Sunday evening.
'We carefully selected our targets. Of the nine chosen, the IAF was tasked specifically with the notorious training camps in Bahawalpur and Muridke,' Bharti said.
He added that the response was part of India's 'measured and calibrated' attacks.
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But what do we know about the Malir Cantonment? Why is it important?
Let's take a closer look:
What we know and its importance
As per NDTV, Malir Cantonment is a heavily fortified military base in Sindh.
It is around 35 kilometers from Karachi.
As per Military-history.fandom.com, it was declared a cantonment by the British government in 1941.
The Pakistani Army took over the condonement in 1947.
As per Latlong.net, it was established as a base in October 11, 1948.
The base is eight kilometers east of Shah Faisal Town and seven kilometers east of Jinnah International Airport.
The cantonment is important because it is home to key military infrastructure.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) carried out a strike on Malir cantonment in Karachi during Operation Sindoor. Representational image. AP
The base itself is one of the most posh locations in Karachi.
Stretching over 12 square kilometres, the base is home to the Cantonment Bazar Area, Defence Officers' Housing Schemes l & ll, Askari-5 (army officers housing scheme), PAF Falcon Complex and approximately seventy Private Housing Schemes.
Home to around 139,000 people, the base is governed through the 'Cantonment Board Malir' under the Pakistani ministry of defence.
A majority of the base's population comprise those that serve in the military, ex-armed services forces, civilians and bureaucrats.
Interestingly, General Pervez Musharraf's funeral was held at the Polo Ground of Malir Cantonment in February 2023.
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He was buried at the Army Graveyard in Karachi.
What else do we know?
The strike on the cantonment was part of India's efforts at crippling the terror network in Pakistan.
'Each action taken was part of a deliberate and proportionate military response to the pattern of drone, missile, and cross-border aggression originating from Pakistan,' Bharti said. 'Our fight is with the terrorists and not with Pakistani military or civilians.'
'Our fight was against terror, and on May 7, we hit only terror hubs, but the Pakistani Army converted it into its own fight by supporting terrorists,' Bharti added.
As per News18, the IAF's military targets included airbases at Chaklala, Rafiq, and Rahim Yar Khan, followed by strikes on Sargodha, Bhulari, and Jacobabad.
'This multi-dimensional operation successfully neutralised terrorist threats, deterred Pakistani aggression, and reinforced India's zero-tolerance policy toward terrorism, all while maintaining strategic restraint and international support," the IAF said.
As per The News Minute, Bharti said the IAF also took out a radar site near Lahore.
This was done by reportedly using an Israeli-origin HARPY loitering munition system to hit a Chinese HQ-9 air defence system.
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India also took out a second radar installation near Gujranwala in Punjab province.
'We are in a combat scenario and losses are part of combat. However, we have achieved all our objectives and all our pilots are back home,' Bharti was quoted as saying by Economic Times.
'We have downed a few Pakistani planes . So, we don't have wreckage with us, but definitely, we have downed a few Pakistani planes; numbers, we would not like to hazard a guess out here, I have the numbers and we are getting into technical details to establish it. So, I would like to put a figure at this time.'
'Our job is to hit the target, not to count the body bags,' Bharti said.
Director General of Military Operations Rajiv Ghai said, 'I want to praise the Border Security Force also, who complemented our efforts by joining our counter-armed response.'
'There has been absolute synergy in the three services, and not only have we been supported by government agencies, but also the 140 crore people,' he added.
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'Pakistan knows what we are going to do'
NDTV quoted Vice Admiral AN Pramod as saying that the Indian Navy remained in a 'deterrent posture with full readiness and capacity to strike select targets at sea and on land, including Karachi, at a time of our choosing'.
Pramod said this 'compelled Pakistani naval and air units to be in a defensive posture, mostly inside harbours or very close to the coast…' for the entire conflict.
'This time, if Pakistan dare take any action, Pakistan knows what we are going to do, that's all,' Pramod was quoted as saying by Economic Times.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh earlier said 100 terrorists were killed during the strikes.
The Indian military carried out strikes on nine targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7.
With inputs from agencies