Er P L Khushu
The barbaric terrorists attack on the Indian tourists at Pahalgam Kashmir on the 22nd April-2025, at the scenic meadows of a natural location in Pahalgam in South Kashmir, known as Baisaran recognized as “mini Switzerland”, turned into a scene of carnage as terrorists opened fire on innocent tourists enjoying their sojourn to Pahalgam. This brutal act marks a grim chapter in Kashmir’s long struggle with insurgency and militancy. By attacking a location known globally for its beauty and growing popularity among domestic and foreign visitors, the perpetrators have aimed not just at lives, but at the very essence of humanism and its essence. It created a shivering shock wave across the country and every Indian turned in tears, when it sent a shock wave of acute anguish and anger in the minds of the people of India against Pakistan and its government. 26 innocent tourists were killed at point blank ranges, in presence of their wives and kins, when some of them got severely injured as well. It is the worst type of inhuman Pakistani terrorists attack on the Indian civilians on the grounds of religion and Islam, when the terrorists apparently being Muslims, asked about the religion and religious faith of these innocent Hindu targets for no fault of theirs. It is being viewed as extreme outrageous inhuman and barbaric act of these terrorists brazenly sponsored by Pakistan to kill the innocent people on the soil of India like this. There is a full war cry against Pakistan presently in the country, when Pakistan has to suffer on this count, through India, if it fails to harbor terror in its territory. The attack was claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), a group linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), with India attributing its support to Pakistan.
As a measure of punitive and a retaliatory action, the Indian defense forces launched Operation Sindoor on the midnight of 7th May 2025, on the nine terror hub location of Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir, when these terror hub locations as per reports are 21 in number. The Indian armed forces launched precision strikes on terrorist infrastructures at nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people on April 22. It is claimed that more than one hundred dreaded terrorists have been killed and their secret locations and training centers reduced to ground. The notorious terrorritsts out fits like Jaish-e-Mohammed Headquarters, Lashkar-e-Taiba Base, Hizbul Mujahideen Camp, LeT-linked Religious Indoctrination Hub and the like are the prominent one’s amomnst these terror organizations. With the ‘Operation Sindoor’, the strikes targeted camps and launch pads used by the Lashkar, the Jaish, and the Hizbul Mujahideen, that have attacked India over the past several years. The nine targets included sites used to train terrorists behind the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and launch those who slaughtered 26 people in Pahalgam. Codenamed ‘Operation Sindoor’, the strikes targeted camps and launch pads used by the Lashkar, the Jaish-e-Mohammed, and the Hizbul Mujahideen, three groups that have caused India much grief and loss over the years, including Uri in 2016 and Pulwama in 2019.
Codenamed ‘Operation Sindoor’, the precision missile attacks-executed under the cover of darkness- were launched by all three services in retaliation for the brutal Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 tourists dead. India’s Ministry of Defence described Operation Sindoor as a “focused, measured, and non-escalatory, mission aimed solely at dismantling terrorist infrastructure. The strikes deliberately avoided Pakistani military installations and were conducted based on precise intelligence to minimize civilian casualties. The operation lasted approximately 23 minutes, utilizing Rafale jets equipped with high precision Missiles and drones. Operation Sindoor, hit about 4 location in the territory of Pakistan whereas 5 within the region of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir: As per reports the terror hubs of Markaz Subhan Allah, Bahawalpur, Jaish-e-Mohammed Headquarters, Markaz Taiba, Muridke, Lashkar-e-Taiba Base, Mehmoona Joya, Sialkot, Hizbul Mujahideen Camp, Markaz Ahle Hadith, Barnala, LeT-linked Religious Indoctrination Hub, Syedna Bilal Camp, Muzaffarabad, Jaish-e-Mohammed Training Centre, Shwawai Nalla Camp, Muzaffarabad , Lashkar-e-Taiba Operations Unit , Makaz Raheel Shahid, Kotli , Hizbul Mujahideen Centre, Markaz Abbas, Kotli, JeM Safehouse, Sarjal Facility, Tehra Kalan & the like were precisely hit and destroyed alongwith its occupants, viz the terroriits manning these centers.
While Operation Sindoor was a significant military operation, it was equally a strategic exercise in shaping global perception. Most international media echoed the Indian stance that this was a calibrated counter-terror strike rather than an act of aggression.
The word ” Sindoor” for this operation has a special emotional significance, which indicates the taking the revenge for the widowing of young Indian ladies in the terror operations at Pahalagm brutally and mercilessly, by the Pakistani sponsored terrorists, when the word “Sindoor” in Indian Hindu culture signifies the symbol of the sanctity of presence of a married status of an Indian Hindu woman, which they exhibit on their foreheads, by applying symbolic Sindoor on their foreheads as mark of and regard of their married life status. It is a sign of the sacred marriage of a woman.
The other major punitive retaliatory which India took in this regard against Pakistan , was keeping the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), which governs the water sharing of six rivers in the Indus basin between India and Pakistan, in abeyance with immediate effect, thus stopping the water flow from major rivers covered under this treaty to Pakistan. This will affect the agricultural sector of Pakistan heavily. The treaty provides for a predictable flow of river waters for Pakistan. Pakistan’s entire irrigation, energy and water management systems are built around this predictability. Sowing of seeds and canal schedules in Pakistan are based on this predictable flow. The suspension would also entail no sharing of river flow data by India, which could be susceptible to both drought and floods. The livelihoods of more than 15.2 crore Pakistanis are directly or indirectly tied to the river Indus. It is a vital resource for food production, electricity generation, and economic activity, making it an indispensable lifeline. It is a big retaliatory action in this behalf from India. Now India says that water and blood cannot flow together.
The key high lights of the Operation Sindoor were to target and struck a total of Nine Terror Linked Sites including key facilities belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Muridke. The operation was carried out through a coordinated effort involving the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force. The strikes were executed using advanced precision-guided weapon systems, all launched from within Indian territory. Described as focused, calibrated, and non-escalatory, the mission specifically avoided engaging any Pakistani military infrastructure. India stated that the operation was part of its commitment to ensuring accountability for the terrorist behind the Pahalgam attack.
Pakistan retaliated to this Operation Sindoor with full military force and air force on the Indian military and airforce installation along with targgetting civilain targets with borrowed and loaned misiles and drones, India did not atack any militray or civilain establishments of Pakistan at all. Pakistan made attacks on the civilain locations of Poonch and Uri sectors, killing many civilains and destroyig there homes. Poonch was one of the areas worst hit when Pakistan launched artillery fire in retaliation for India’s missile strikes on Pakistan and Pakistan-administered territories. The worst-hit villages in Poonch district were Shahpur, Mankote and Krishna Ghati, while shelling also intensified in Rajouri district’s Laam, Manjakote, and Gambhir Brahmana areas as residents fled to safety.
India’s foreign ministry said that 16 civilians were killed and 59 wounded on Wednesday during exchanges of fire across the border. India’s foreign secretary Sh. Vikram Misri, accused Pakistan of targeting the Sikh community in Poonch and said that three people from the community died when a Gurdwara in the district was hit by shelling from Pakistan.
India exhibited enough restrain and did not attack any civil location or establishments. Yet of course India attacked vital and strategic military and defense bases of Pakistan with full might with its indigenous military arsenals. The Indian strikes came in response to Pakistan’s attempts to attack 26 Indian targets, including air force stations in Udhampur, Pathankot and Adampur.
The Indian interceptors crushed Pak drones. The night sky came to life with the roar of multiple interceptors from India that turned the Pakistani drones into duds. The system’s resilience and effectiveness were demonstrated. It neutralized the large-scale missile and drone attack from Pakistan. Led by the S-400 and supported by a suite of missile and gun systems, this grid has been designed for both deterrence and active defense, capable of countering the full spectrum of modern aerial threats. The Indian forces “effectively repulsed” a major drone attack from Pakistan in the intervening night of May 8-9 along the entire western border showing the strength if its defense grid, integrated theatres and crisp strategy. Armed with such air defense units, Indian troops on the ground used legacy systems like Pechora, OSA-AK and LLAD guns (Low-level air defense guns) as well as home grown Akash surface to air missiles and other longer range missiles to neutralize Pakistan attack.
From Turkish drones to Chinese missiles used by Pakistan along with some Pakistani aircraft, all were thwarted and destroyed by India’s indigenously built integrated multi-layered air defense network during three days of intense hostilities, with Pakistan, by Indian forces.
As per reports, India managed to cause heavy damages deep inside the Pakistani side, targeting airfields and more defense systems and also striking one of Pakistan’s crucial strategic headquarters. Indian missile barraged on 3 major Pakistani air bases and other facilities, including PAF Nur Khan air base, which is just 10 kilometers away from capital of Pakistan, Islamabad.
The facts are beyond dispute: India decisively controlled the battlefield. It inflicted significant casualties on Pakistani military and terror infrastructure, neutralized over 300 incoming drones and missiles with its formidable S-400 air defense system, and struck targets perilously close to Rawalpindi, the epicenter of Pakistan’s nuclear command.
After about three days of severe conflict between India and Pakistan, Pakistan sensing more destructive aggression from India and feeling small and shy to combat the mighty military aggression from India by its forces, Pakistan DGMO, made a proposal to Indian DGMO, asking for an immediate ceasefire after a hotline communication between both their DGMOs, to be effective from 5:00 pm IST/04:30 pm PKT (11:30 UTC) on 10 May, with talks between the two countries set for 12 May, 2025. However Pakistan violated it on the same day by drone attacks on Indian cities and some military establishments, when India had no option but to retaliate back.
The American President Donald Triumph tried to take the credit of this cease fire and attribute it to himself as the person who got it done. India rejected it in bold voice, when he has of late now withdrawn himself from it.
India’s military and air force dominance forced a ceasefire with Pakistan on May 10, 2025, but deeper goal of India which is PoJK’s reunification with India and dismantling of Pakistan’s terror hubs completely might have remained remain unfulfilled, leaving victory emotionally incomplete. The ceasefire between India and Pakistan, announced on May 10, 2025, is not a resolution; it is an intermission, a pause in hostilities only. The Indian people feel that though on paper, this was an Indian victory, but in sentiment, it feels incomplete.
India has made it clear that the subject of talks between India and Pakistan will be to talk about the cult of terrorism in Pakistan which has been an act of war against India through proxy from Pakistan for decades now. Equally India has made it clear to Pakistan that the issue of occupied territory the PoJK’s by Pakistan will be the another issue of discussion with Pakistan. There will be nothing beyond these two issues which will be deliberated upon between India and Pakistan as a result of this cease fire. While addressing the nation Prime Minister Modi made it specifically clear that:-
- Terror and Talks cannot go together.
- Terror and trade cannot go together.
- Water and Blood cannot flow together.
Pakistan along with its allies should understand this language and act accordingly.
Turkey openly helped Pakistan in its war with India by supplying drones and other military arsenals to Pakistan. Indians are anguished and hurt by Turkey’s all-out military backing to Pakistan during its attacks on Indian civilians and soldiers despite India rushing in aid after a deadly earthquake in 2023. Indian traders are boycotting Turkish products. Indian tourists are now cancelling their trips to Turkey and Azerbaijan as these countries supported Pakistan in the conflict with India. Leading online travel booking platforms have reported mass cancellations and a sharp drop in Indian tourists wanting to travel to Turkey and Azerbaijan due to their anti-India stand during Operation Sindoor. JNU has suspended an MoU with a Turkish university and the Indian film industry has vowed not to shoot films in Turkey.
Our armed forces need to be congratulated for their great job done in these military operations with Pakistan which has won laurels for India’s military might and excellence. Equally India stands with all those who have lost their lives in these military attacks with Pakistan.
(The author of this article is a chartered consultant civil engineer, who loves his mother land the union territory of Jammu & Kashmir)