India's Operation Sindoor: Precision Strikes At Terror Bases In Pakistan

The Indian Armed Forces carried out precision strikes around 1 am on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, in response to the Pahalgam attack in which 26 civilians were killed on April 22. Sources told NDTV that Prime Minister Narendra Modi constantly monitored the overnight operation.

India struck bases in Pakistan and PoK from where terrorist attacks were being planned and executed. Nine sites were targeted in the strikes under the codename 'Operation Sindoor' - an ode to the women who lost their husbands in the Pahalgam attack.

"Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution." "We are living up to the commitment that those responsible for this attack will be held responsible," India said in a statement.

Sources suggest the action was part of Phase 1 of India's response to the Pahalgam attack and more would follow based on Pakistan's retaliation.

In retaliation, Pakistan resorted to cross-border firing and artillery shelling at Indian villages along the Line of Control, killing three innocent civilians. Pakistan had violated the ceasefire incessantly over the past few days, firing at the Line of Control.

India's retaliatory strike was designed to dismantle key logistical, operational, and training infrastructure used by LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizbul Mujahideen, and other affiliated networks.

Each of the nine sites selected for the operation had a history of association with major terror plots and infiltration attempts directed at Indiam.

One of the sites, Muridke, is the headquarters of the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is run by Hafiz Saeed, and Bahalwapur in Pakistan's Punjab province is the base of Jaish-e-Mohammad, an outfit run by Masood Azhar.

"Justice Is Served, Jai Hind"

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh wrote "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" on his X handle. Minutes after India announced that it conducted the strikes, the Indian Army posted on X and said, "Justice is served. Jai Hind."

#PahalgamTerrorAttack

Justice is Served.

Jai Hind! pic.twitter.com/Aruatj6OfA

— ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) May 6, 2025

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The strikes come almost two weeks after the barbaric terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, in which terrorists from Pakistan shot dead 26 civilians in a tourist spot.

Read more: Operation Sindoor: What We Know About India's Strike On Pak Terror Bases

In response to the strikes, Pakistan has opened artillery fire along the Line of Control in the Bhimber Gali in the Poonch-Rajauri area, the Indian Army said. The troops are "responding appropriately in a calibrated manner," they added.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said, "Pakistan has every right to respond forcefully to this act of war imposed by India, and a forceful response is being given."

Sources told NDTV that India used SCALP (Storm Shadow) cruise missiles for Operation Sindoor. These missiles, developed jointly by France and Britain, are equipped with the Rafale fighters of the Indian Air Force. Sources added that, along with SCALP, Hammer Smart Bombs were also used in the strikes.

The Indian Embassy in the United States said National Security Advisor Ajit Doval spoke to Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the strikes, briefing him about India's military operation.

US President Donald Trump reacted to India's military action against terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and said the US knew something was going to happen and that he hoped "it ends very quickly".

Senior Indian officials have spoken to their counterparts in a number of countries to brief them on the steps taken by India. Among these are US, UK, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Russia.

Flight Ops, NOTAM, Air Force's War Game

Flight operations have been impacted following the tension along the border. IndiGo, in a statement, told passengers that "Due to changing airspace conditions in the region", operations have been impacted at Srinagar, Jammu, Amritsar, and operations are affected in Chandigarh and Dharamsala. IndiGo requested passengers to check their flight status. A similar advisory was issued by SpiceJet as well.

Air India said it has cancelled all flights to and from Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Chandigarh, and Rajkot till noon. Two international flights on their way to Amritsar were diverted to Delhi, it said.

The Srinagar airport has been closed, and no civilian flight will be operating today, sources in the Indian Air Force told NDTV.

The strikes come hours before a planned security drill across the country for "effective civil defence in the event of a hostile attack". It is planned in 244 districts, and it's the first such drill being held since 1971, the year in which both countries went to war and Pakistan was split into two and Bangladesh was formed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had vowed to take vengeance for the worst-ever attack in Jammu and Kashmir since Pulwama in 2019. He had also given the forces full operation freedom to decide "mode, timing and target" of India's response.

In 2016, India carried out precision surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the Line of Control in PoK, almost 10 days after the Uri attacks in which four Jaish terrorists from Pakistan entered a brigade headquarters and killed 16 soldiers.

On February 14, 2019, a vehicle-borne suicide bomber from Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed targeted a convoy of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Pulwama, killing 40 soldiers. India responded with force, and the Indian Air Force struck terror camps in Balakot, across the international border in Pakistan. This was the first time since the 1971 war, the IAF crossed the international border for military action.

It was followed by Pakistan scrambling jets, and in an aerial dogfight, the Air Force's MiG-21, piloted by Wing Commander Abhinandan, shot down a superior US-made fourth-generation F-16 fighter aircraft.

Wing Commander Abhinandan was captured by Pakistan but was released a few days later.

First Diplomatic Measures, Then Military Action

The Prime Minister has chaired several meetings since the Pahalgam attack and met with all service chiefs.

Before taking military action against the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack, India first took diplomatic measures against Pakistan by suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, which was ratified in 1960, along with revoking all visas granted to Pakistani nationals, shutting the Attari border, downsizing the diplomatic staff of Pakistan's missions in India and shutting the airspace for all aircraft, including military, operated and leased by Pakistan.

Last night, PM Modi said the decision to put a freeze on the Indus water treaty that stopped the supply to Pakistan will not be reversed, saying, "India's water will be used for India's interests".

Pakistan threatened to hold the 1972 Simla Agreement in abeyance following India's measures. The threat posed a question on the future of the Line of Control, which was established after the agreement was signed. In 2003, India and Pakistan signed a ceasefire agreement to ease tensions along the military boundary, but Islamabad has repeatedly violated the agreement.

For the last 12 days, Pakistani troops have opened small arms fire along the LoC, and India has given a measured response to Pakistan's repeated violations.