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India Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Kashmir Terrorism History Part 8: Operation Sindoor, India's Strikes on Pakistan After Pahalgam Terror Attack
In the concluding part of our series, we revisit India's bold strikes on Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack Advertisement April 22, 2025, Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir The Baisaran Valley, a serene meadow nestled in the Pir Panjal range, was alive with the hum of tourists. In the distance, the Lidder River danced its way to the Kashmir Valley. The air was ripe with the smell of pine trees and saffron-laced steaming kahwa. But in the shadows of the dense forest, a sinister plot was brewing. Around 3:15 PM, the peace shattered. As masked terrorists sprayed bullets at tourists, the staccato rhythm of gunfire rose through the woods. It mingled with cries for help and wails of mourners, shrouding the meadow in surreal horror. By the time the dust settled, 26 civilians lay dead, their blood staining the lush green grass. Among the dead were men, shot at point blank range in front of their wives, wiping out the symbol of Hindu women's honour–their sindoor. The attack, claimed by a fringe terror group, was a cowardly strike on innocent tourists, with the goal of destabilising India's fragile northern frontier. The nation mourned its martyrs. In New Delhi, the wheels of retribution were already turning. May 7, 2025, 12:45AM IST In a dimly lit operations room, Air Marshal AK Bharti pointed his baton at satellite imagery of nine terrorist camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). In a voice forged in fire, he identified the targets—Markaz Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur, Markaz Taiba in Muridke, and others—as hubs for Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM). The three terror groups, based in and nurtured by Pakistan, had been striking with impunity in India. It was time, a grim-faced Bharti announced, for payback. Pakistan had been given enough opportunities to pull down the jihadist infrastructure. From diplomacy to surgical strikes, India had tried everything. But Islamabad was unwilling to mend its ways. The clock was ticking. Pakistan's inaction against these groups had forced India's hand. 'Operation Sindoor is green,' Bharti announced, his voice steady. The mission was precise: neutralise the terrorist infrastructure without hitting Pakistani military or civilian sites. India's message was clear—retribution for Pahalgam, but no damage to civilians. On cue, pilots of the Indian Air Force strapped into Sukhoi and Rafale jets loaded with SCALP missiles and AASM Hammer glide bombs. At 1:05 AM, the jets roared into the night sky, their noses scything through the darkness toward their targets. The wrath of India was about to fall on Pakistan. 1:30 AM IST, Across the Border Chief of the Pakistan Army, General Asim Munir, was woken up by an urgent call. It was raining mayhem, a terrified voice croaked on a secure line. 'Detail?' Munir's voice froze. 'In Bahawalpur, a missile struck Markaz Subhan Allah, reducing JeM's training compound to rubble. Simultaneously, explosions lit up Muridke, Kotli, and Muzaffarabad. The strikes, lasting just 25 minutes, were surgical,' the caller stuttered. His eyes groggy with disbelief, Munir rubbed them till they were red. But the image, he realised, wasn't a nightmare. It was all happening in Pakistan. Within minutes, Islamabad was counting its losses. Over 100 terrorists, including masterminds of the 1999 IC-814 hijacking and the 2019 Pulwama attack, were killed. The jihadi training spots in nine places had been obliterated. 1:30 AM, IST, India Satellite feeds relayed real-time imagery of Op Sindoor: burning structures, collapsed infra, and chaos in terror camps. The Indian Air Force had broken the back of Pakistan's terror modules, setting its jihadi agenda back by many years. At 1:45 AM, the Indian Ministry of Defence announced: 'Operation Sindoor has successfully targeted terrorist infrastructure responsible for the Pahalgam attack. This is a calibrated counter-terror measure.' In New Delhi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh posted on X: 'Bharat Mata ki Jai.' His salutation ignited a wave of national pride. Across the border, Pakistan was seething with the fire of revenge. The subcontinent was perched on a precipice. 3:00 AM IST, Rawalpindi, Pakistan The room buzzed with excitement and a sense of doom as Lieutenant Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, head of Inter-Services Public Relations, faced a barrage of questions, cameras whirring at frenetic pace. His face was grim as he announced India's strikes had killed 31 civilians—and a mosque had been erased. In a statement shortly after the Indian strikes, ISPR said all planes of the Pakistan Air Force were airborne. 'All strikes were made by India from its own airspace. Pakistan will respond to it at a time and place of its own choosing. It will not go unanswered. The temporary pleasure of India will be replaced by enduring grief,' Pakistan stated. Advertisement Indian officials swiftly countered, releasing OSINT evidence showing only terrorist sites were hit. The mosque, they clarified, was a JeM den. By 4:00 AM, Pakistan closed its airspace, grounding commercial flights. India followed, suspending air traffic in northern cities like Srinagar and Amritsar. Along the Line of Control (LoC), Pakistani forces opened fire in the Uri sector, killing Indian civilians. The escalation was swift and deliberate. After a hiatus of 26 years post Kargil, the two neighbours were ready for another armed conflict. 10:00 AM IST, New Delhi Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri stood at a podium, flanked by Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh. A map projected behind them smoldering ruins of terror camps. 'Operation Sindoor was a response to Pakistan's failure to act against terrorism,' Misri declared. 'We have no quarrel with Pakistan's people or military. But we will not tolerate terror.' As Misri spoke, Pakistan's disinformation campaign kicked into high gear. ISPR claimed strikes on 15 Indian targets, including Srinagar Airbase. Social media was flooded with grainy videos of explosions, but India's Press Information Bureau debunked them as recycled footage from Pakistan's internal clashes. May 7-10, LoC Pakistan's retaliation intensified. Drone swarms, armed with explosives, crossed into Indian airspace, targeting Indian cities. Indian S-400 systems roared to life, blowing up the drones mid-flight. The debris of shredded drones rained over Punjab and Rajasthan, sparking fires but no fatalities. Pakistan then launched Fatah-series missiles, aiming for Indian military sites. Most were intercepted. In response, Indian jets struck a Pakistani air defense system in Lahore and an aircraft hangar. The strikes, confirmed at 8:00 AM on May 8, were a warning. 'Pakistan's escalatory actions are reckless. We urge restraint but are prepared for any eventuality,' Misri announced. There was panic in Pakistan. On the intervening night of May 9-10, around 2:30 AM, General Munir called Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif through a secure phone. 'India has launched its ballistic missiles. One has landed at the Nur Khan airbase and some at other areas,' Prime Minister Sharif was to accept later in a public address. The LoC bore the brunt of violence. Pakistani shelling in Poonch and Kupwara killed 12 Indian civilians and one soldier. Drones—300 to 400 in total—swarmed Indian airspace, targeting military and civilian sites. In Jammu, Pathankot and Udhampur, lights were put out as sirens blazed through the night. The iconic Golden Temple in Amritsar was dipped in darkness as intelligence inputs warned of a plot to destroy the shrine, blaming it on India. In Ferozpur, a downed drone sparked a fire, injuring three. Indian forces, stretched but resolute, neutralised Pakistani missiles and reportedly shot down an F-16 near Pathankot, though confirmation was pending. In New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened the Cabinet Committee on Security. 'Operation Sindoor is our new doctrine,' he said. 'Terror will meet swift justice.' The strikes had exposed Pakistan's vulnerabilities—its Chinese air defenses were no match for India's BrahMos missiles and Rafale jets. But the cost was rising. In the early hours of May 10, Pakistan announced its counter-strike: Operation Bunyan al-Marsoos. Missiles launched from Pakistan headed for targets in India, mainly airbases. The damage yet again was limited. But the specter of an all-out war, with nuclear escalation, loomed. May 10, 2025, 5:00 PM IST As the subcontinent braced for another night of horror, blackouts and air strikes, a breakthrough came unexpectedly. US President Donald Trump, via Truth Social, announced a ceasefire. 'India and Pakistan agree to stand down. No more bloodshed!' he posted. In the background, military hotlines buzzed as both sides halted operations. May 11–13, India On May 11, the Indian Army reported a quiet night along the LoC, but tensions simmered. A senior official clarified: 'Sindoor is on pause, not ended.' On May 12, Bharti briefed the media, revealing the Navy's role and the operation's success in avoiding civilian casualties. We hit what we aimed for—'terrorists, not innocents,' he said. On May 13, India released before-and-after satellite imagery, showing obliterated terrorist camps and damaged Pakistani military sites like Noor Khan airbase. With the immediate goal achieved, Modi addressed the nation 'Operation Sindoor is India's policy now. No terrorist will find safe haven. Every terror attack will now be treated as an act of war.' May 14, 2025, New Delhi In a final briefing, Misri detailed how India's indigenous BrahMos missiles and Rafale jets had outmaneuvered Pakistan's defenses. Pakistan's retaliatory PL-15 missiles and Turkish-style drones had been neutralised, a testament to India's air defence systems. The clashes also exposed Pakistan and its allies, both covert and overt. The world took note: India had redefined counter-terrorism, striking hard but avoiding all-out war. The Aftermath: An Uneasy Calm Across the border, Pakistan licked its wounds, its terrorist proxies crippled, military exposed. But its leaders refused to accept the damage—announcing defiance and victory that sounds like a parody. Pahalgam's scars remain. But Operation Sindoor has sent a loud message: India will no longer wait for justice. It will deliver it swiftly, on a war footing. The days of diplomacy on terror are over. Operation Sindoor, named after the vermilion mark married women apply on their forehead, has reshaped India's stance. Terror would no longer go unanswered. But in the shadow of the Himalayas, peace remains a fragile hope. Kashmir continues to be Pakistan's festering dream. Its terror groups continue to treat it as the cause for their existence. The Valley has come a long way from Pakistan's early attempts at infiltration, and jihad through proxies. (See previous parts ). The stakes continue to rise as Pakistan directs its frustration at Kashmir, while India's tolerance for terror keeps coming down. Will the peace hold? Or, will Pakistan test India's resolve again with another sinister plan? After eight decades of violence, terror and wars, the Valley's fate hangs on a slender thread of hope. The tenuous hope that Pakistan will move on from the past, and accept Kashmir as an inseparable part of India. For the next Pakistani misadventure in Kashmir will be an existential threat for Islamabad, and a disaster for the subcontinent. (The series is concluded.)
India Gazette
12-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
Op Sindoor: Air Marshal Bharti reveals details on precision strikes in Pakistan's Muridke, Bahawalpur terror camps
New Delhi [India], May 12 (ANI): The Indian Armed Forces' May 7 precision strikes under Operation Sindoor have dismantled nine major terror camps associated with the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Five of the nine terror camps were located in PoK, and the other four in Pakistan. Among the destroyed camps in Pakistan, two of those stand out more, as they not only serve as residences for major commanders but also serve as epicentres for radicalisation and various training courses on intelligence and arms handling for Laskar as well as Jaisha. During a joint press conference on Sunday, the Director General for Air Operations, Air Marshal AK Bharti, revealed operation details on how these two sites, one being the Markaz Taiba, a Lashkar stronghold, in Muridke and the other Markaz Subhan Allah, the headquarters of the Jaish, in Bahawalpur, were targeted and destroyed under the operation. In a detailed presentation, the Air Marshal explained that the reason for the precision strikes was to target specific buildings within the terror camps that align with India's commitment 'not to inflict casualties'. He presented four specific buildings in Muridke camp, which were targeted during the strike that led to the death of Lashkar-e-Taiba-affiliated Mudassar Khadian Khas, who was in charge of the Markaz Taiba there. He showed four impact points in the Muridke camp that were targeted. Muridke Terror Camp: Before Attack: Impact Points: After Attack: The Air Marshal also showed the damages done in Bahawalpur, which housed the eldest brother-in-law of Maulana Masood Azhar, Hafiz Muhammad Jameel of JeM. He was in charge of Markaz Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur and was actively involved in the radical indoctrination of youth and fundraising for JeM. Bahawalpur Terror Camp: Before Attack: After Attack: Video and photo evidence provided by the Armed Forces reiterated India's stance of only targeting terror camps with no to minimal damage to any civilian or military structure. Meanwhile, Director General Military Operations, Lieutenant General Rajeev Ghai, during the press conference, said that more than 100 terrorists were eliminated during Operation Sindoor, launched in retaliation for the April 22 terror attacks. According to Ghai, the eliminated terrorists included those involved in the 1999 Indian Airlines flight (IC-814) hijacking and the 2019 Pulwama terror attack. (ANI)
Time of India
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Mazood Azhar's mission is to 'destroy' India. With Operation Sindoor, he got a taste of his own medicine
Mazood Azhar's mission is to 'destroy' India. With Operation Sindoor, he got a taste of his own medicine Team TOI Plus Updated: May 8, 2025, 15:16 IST IST The strike on the Markaz Subhan Allah seminary in Bahawalpur, operational since 2015 and the main centre of the Jaish-e-Muhammed for training and indoctrination, resulted in the deaths of dreaded terrorist Masood Azhar's kin Maulana Masood Azhar , the notorious chief of terror group Jaish-e-Muhammed ( JeM ), on Wednesday (May 7 ) acknowledged the death of 10 of his family members and four aides in the Indian strike on Markaz Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur, a Deobandi seminary in Pakistan, in the early hours the same day.
India Gazette
08-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
Pakistan: Terror hotbed in Bahawalpur reduced to rubble after Indian strike under 'Operation Sindoor'
Bahawalpur [Pakistan], May 8 (ANI): After India's successful execution of the counter-terror offensive under 'Operation Sindoor' in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) on Wednesday, a hotbed of terror activity in Bahawalpur city of Punjab was reduced to rubble. Bhawalpur hosts the Markaz Subhan Allah, operational since 2015, the main centre of Jaish-e-Mohammad for training and indoctrination and serves as operational headquarter of JeM. It is associated with terrorist plannings by JeM including Pulwama attack on Feb 14, 2019. The Markaz consists of residences of JeM Chief Maulana Masood Azhar, de-facto Chief of JeM Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar, Maulana Ammar and other family members of Masood Azhar. Masood Azhar has made several addresses from this facility extolling anti - India rhetoric and appealing to youth to join Islamic Jihad. JeM conducts regular arms, physical and religious training for its cadres at Markaz Subhan Allah. The visuals obtained by Reuters show the terror infrastructure in Bahawalpur completely destroyed following the missile strikes carried out by the Indian Armed Forces under 'Operation Sindoor' on Wednesday. Addressing a press briefing on 'Operation Sindoor' in Delhi on Wednesday, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh outlined the objectives of the operation. A total of nine terror sites in Pakistan including five in PoJK linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) were targeted with meticulous planning to avoid civilian casualties. Colonel Qureshi detailed the targeted camps, stating that the four terrorist camps destroyed in Pakistan are Bahawalpur, Muridke, Sarjal, and Mehmoona Joya. She also confirmed the destruction of Markaz Subhanallah in Bahawalpur, located 100 km inside Pakistan, stating, 'It was the headquarters of Jaish-e-Mohammed, targeted by Indian Armed Forces.' Wing Commander Vyomika Singh elaborated on the operation's strategic intent, stating, ''Operation Sindoor' was a retaliation to the horrific Pahalgam terror attack of April 22 to serve justice to the innocent victims and their families. Nine terror camps were targeted and destroyed.' She revealed that Pakistan has maintained a complex terror infrastructure for three decades, comprising 21 recruitment, indoctrination, and launch pad centres across Pakistan and PoJK. 'The targets for Operation Sindoor were based on credible intelligence inputs and locations that were so selected to avoid damage to civilian infrastructure and loss of civilian lives,' Singh added, underscoring the operation's precision. The strikes, executed between 1:05 am and 1:30 am on Wednesday, involved a coordinated effort by the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force, targeting key facilities like the JeM and LeT bases in Pakistan as well as PoJK. (ANI)
Time of India
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
10 of Parliament, Pulwama strike mastermind's family killed
NEW DELHI: Maulana Masood Azhar 's words dripped with grief as the notorious chief of terror group Jaish-e-Muhammed acknowledged the death of 10 of his family members in the Indian attack on Markaz Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur, a Deobandi seminary known as the breeding ground of terrorists that Pakistan's ISI deploys as part of its proxy war against India. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "I wish I had also joined the lucky caravan," Azhar said in the florid Urdu that terrorists use to glorify themselves as martyrs. In a statement JeM said Azhar's elder sister, her husband, a nephew and his wife and a niece were among those killed. "They have attained a higher calling and have now becomes the guests of Allah. I feel no disappointment. In fact, my heart keeps wishing I had joined this joyful group of 14 pilgrims. Their departure was destined, yet it was not God who killed them," the notorious terrorist-in-chief said even as he invited the public to attend the funeral prayers scheduled for 4pm on Wednesday. The statement was in keeping with the ruthless resolve of the terrorist who arrived in India in the 1990s as a member of Harkatul Mujahideen to wage jihad in Jammu & Kashmir. He was arrested but had to be released as part of the swap of passengers of Indian Airlines plane IC-814, which was hijacked by his younger brother Abdul Rauf Azhar and others. The imprisonment did not dampen his zeal for jihad. He broke away from HuM to launch Jaish-e-Muhammed (Army of the Prophet) and soon earned the backing of ISI which was impressed by his fanatic fervour. Azhar, the 56-year-old terror mastermind sanctioned by the UN Security Council as a global terrorist, has been linked to several high-profile attacks in India, including the 2001 attack on Parliament , the 2016 assaults on the Pathankot airbase and on the Indian embassy in Kabul and the suicide bombing of a CRPF convoy in 2019, which was the trigger for IAF raids on another Jaish seminary in Balakot. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now For years, Pakistan pretended to be unaware of Azhar's whereabouts despite robust evidence of the terrorist's presence on its territory. Getting him on the global terrorist list was a challenge. India tried to get Azhar designated as a global terrorist under the UN Sanctions Committee for years, only to to run into roadblocks raised by Pakistan's all-weather ally China who was promised that being on the right side of terrorists would help ensure the safety of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor. Azhar's core group, including brother Abdul Rauf and other senior functionaries like Azhar's brother-in-law Yusuf Azhar have been operating out of Markaz Subhan Allah. The facility was under the superintendence of Mufti Asghar Khan Kashmiri, head of Jaish's operations in PoK. Abdullah Jehadi alias Abdullah Kashmiri and Aashiq Nengroo (Indian fugitive) also operated from the centre.
