After Pahalgam, Visible And Targeted Response To Terror Marks A New Normal

India's response to the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that killed 26 tourists has drawn a red line that Pakistan can no longer ignore - that terrorism as a state policy will trigger targeted and visible consequences.

The cruise missile strikes as part of Operation Sindoor at terror infrastructure and Pakistani military assets including air base have asserted a doctrinal shift toward calibrated deterrence.

The operation is not over and it signals a "new normal" in India's approach to counter-terrorism, emphasising that Pakistan must accept the new reality and cannot expect business as usual, news agency ANI reported.

"Operation Sindoor is not over, we are in the new normal, the world has to accept this. Pakistan has to accept this; it cannot be business as usual," sources told ANI.

The strike on May 7 destroyed nine high-value terror launchpads across Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).

The targets belonged to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and Hizbul Mujahideen. The locations were identified as key training and operational centres for planning attacks against India.

India did not target Pakistani military or civilian structures and tried its best to avoid collateral damage. However, the Pakistani military escalated the situation by attacking civilian areas in India with drones.

Following the relentless attacks, a decision was taken to strike where it would hurt.

"And towards that, in a swift, coordinated, calibrated attack, we struck air bases, command centres, military infrastructure, air defence systems across the entire western front," DG Air Operations Air Marshal AK Bharti told reporters on Sunday.

"We sent a clear message that aggression will not be tolerated. This was followed by strikes at Sargodha, Barari, Jacobabad," he said.

Any future act of terror by Pakistan will be considered an act of war, and India will respond accordingly, sources have said.

The role of the Pakistani army in supporting terrorists to launch attacks against India became even more evident on May 7 when they stood up in defence of terror infrastructure hit by the Indian missiles as part of Operation Sindoor.

Indian military and intelligence sources pointed to irrefutable evidence that elements within the Pakistan Army, particularly those connected to the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), were providing logistical support, safe havens, training, and financial backing to terrorist groups operating in PoJK. The proximity of some of the terrorist camps to known military installations and cantonments reinforced suspicions that they were being deliberately shielded, sources said.