Col Alok Mathur, SM.
This article is aimed at laying out the sequence of events that took place from 7 May to 10 May when India responded to the brutal terrorist attack at Pahalgam, Kashmir on 22 April that left 26 innocent civilians killed and many more seriously injured.
The Indian response came only after the complicity of Pakistan army and terrorist organisations operating from Pakistani soil in the Pahalgam attack was established. India responded at a time and place of its own choosing
The Indian Strike
Residents of Muzaffarabad in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and Bahawalpur in Punjab Province were temporarily blinded by the flash and blast at 0105 h on 7 May 2025 as terrorists camps and hideouts in the are were hit by Indian Armed Forces
- Brahmos supersonic cruise missiles fired by SU 30MK I
- Standoff Air launched Cruise Platform (SCALP) and HAMMER precision guided bombs fired by Rafales of IAF
There was panic and chaos all over. Artillery also engaged targets across the LOC. The Indian Navy was on high alert and MIG 29 were hovering over the Karachi Port. The operation continued for 35 minutes. Five Terrorist Camps in POJK and four Terrorist Training Centres at Pakistan Punjab province were targeted and were totally destroyed. Indian fighters safely returned to home bases by 0135 h early morning.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was awake and watching live the conduct of the operation along with his CCS colleagues from the Cabinet Committee on Security. He was relieved when the NSA informed him that the mission was surgically accomplished and all strike elements were back home safely by 0200h.
PM Narendra Modi had warned Pakistan and had declared from a public meeting at Madhubani, Bihar on 23 April that India will not spare terrorists who had carried out brutal killings of 26 innocent tourists at Pahalgam Kashmir. He had vowed that the masters/handlers of the terrorists will also not be spared. They would be tracked and razed to death as punishment.
The Pakistan Army and Terror Infrastructure
The Pakistan Army is not a force designed to defend its country. It is a radicalised military organisation that has the objective of Jihad across the world starting from India.
Because of the exorbitant expenses for maintaining this Jihadi outfit there is a very high level of poverty and unemployment in the young population in Pakistan.
Due to deprivation and indoctrinated education provided under guidance of the Pakistan Army, the Pakistani youth have become a breeding ground for terrorists. The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of the Pakistan army has tapped this source who are ready to fight the dirty low cost war for Pakistan especially in Jammu Kashmir and also in rest of India.
ISI is providing them safe training areas, funds, weapons and ammunition and all other facilities through the militant organisations like Laskar-e-Taiba ( LeT), Jaish e Muhammad (JeM) , Hizbul Mujahidin (HM) etc.
Once the cadres clear Chotta Tanzeem and Bara Tanzeem levels of training, they are taken to launch pads and at suitable time window infiltrated in to Indian side of Jammu Kashmir with assistance from Pakistan Army and Rangers.
They are motivated to kill maximum Kafirs as part of Jihad and also get killed for the sake of Islam. They are told that their act will find favour in heaven and they will be rewarded with 72 Hoors (celestial females). The life span of a terrorist is generally a few months before they are eliminated by Indian Security Forces.
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Lashkar-e-Taiba is an internationally declared terrorist outfit. Its Headquarters is at Markaz-e-Taiba , Muridke, 20 kms from Lahore in a huge 200 acres complex. This complex has been destroyed in the Indian strike.
In the province of Punjab, the recruitment comes from a network of 300 Plus Madrassas across Pakistan and POJK. LeT has 16 documented training camps in the Eastern Zone.
Among innumerable terrorist strikes in Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of India, this group was responsible for the following big terrorist strikes.
- Mumbai Train Blasts 0f 2006 wherein 209 innocents were killed;
- 26/11 Mumbai Attack, 2008 166 killed,
- German Bakery Pune Blast 2010, 17 Killed
Jaish-e-Muhmmad
Jaish-e-Muhmmad (JeM) was established in 2000 by Masood Azhar. Asghar Rauf was the second in command. He has been killed in the latest strike.
JeM follows the Deobandi movement of Islam and glorifies martyrdom. It produces Fedayeen (suicide bombers). It has four camps in POK and seven training camps in Khyber Pakthunwaha (KPK).
The infamous operations claimed by JeM were
- Indian Parliament Attack New Delhi, 2001
- Pulwama suicide bombing in Kashmir, 2019.
- The Balakote camp of JeM was bombed by IAF in 2019.
The Headquarters of JEM s located at Markaz Subahan Allah near Bahawalpur in Punjab Province. It has a capacity of 150/200 cadres and about 15/20 top leaders in a 15 Acres complex. It has been destroyed by India.
Inter-Services Intelligence
ISI has sponsored and operationalised terrorism as a state policy through a three tiered approach.
- Strategic direction and funding (S -Wing)
- Operational support provided by retired service/volunteer serving army personnel
- Logistics support ie weapons, ammunition, training infrastructure and intelligence
All this is done with Pakistan tax payer money, narcotics business and support from foreign organisations.
More than 40000 terrorists produced by this terror machinery have been killed by Indian Security Forces while crossing the LOC/ border or while carrying out terror operations.
Operation Sindoor
Operation Sindoor was a well planned, surgically executed, joint military operation by Indian Armed Forces not against Pakistan but in Pakistan against terror establishments that have been given support by the Pakistan Army.
The surprise and deception was 100 percent. The operation displayed the military and technological might of new India.
The targets were confirmed by intelligence assets. There were 21 Terrorist Camps/ training centres identified.
- The 12 Camps located in POJK were Shawai Nalla , Syedna Bilal, Masker-e-Aqsa , Chela Bandi, Abdullaha bin Masood, Dulai, Sensa, Gulpur, Kotli, Barali, Dungi and Barnala .
- The balance eight terror hubs were located in Punjab province and identified at Garhi Habibullaha, Batarsi, Oghi , Boi, Mehmoona Joya , Sarjal, Muridke and Bhawalpur.
- The Re-established Balkot Camp in Kyber Pakthunwa was also in the list.
Nine terrorist camps were meticulously selected with the help of satellite imagery, thermal signature and shortlisted for destruction. They were attacked with Brahmos and SCALP Supersonic cruise missiles and HAMMER precision guided smart ammunition fired from Rafales and Sukhoi 30 MK I and completely destroyed at midnight of 6/7 May 2025. The terror hubs addressed were as given below.
Terrorist Camps in POJK
- Shawai Nalla , Muzaffarabad ( POJK) 30 kms from LOC , Let Training facility capacity 40/50 Cadres
- Syedna Bilal , Muzaffrabad ( POJK) 20 kms from LOC. Staging area for Let 30/40 cadres
- Gulpur , Kotli ( POJK) 15 kms from LOC , LeT Base camp ( POJK) 20 kms from LOC
- Bhimber Camp, Barnala (POJK) Training Camp 50 Cadres , 15 kms from LOC
- Kotli Abbas Camp ( POJK) Let camp , 13 kms from LOC
Terrorist Camps in Punjab
- Markaz Subhanallaha, Bhawalpur { Punjab) 120 kms from IB .
- Markaz e Taiba , Muridke ( Punjab) 20 kms from Lahore , about 55 kms from IB on NH 5 .
- Sarjal Camp, Sialkot ( Punjab) 50 kms from Jammu, 25kms from IB . 25/30 Cadres
- Mehmoona Joya Camp , Sialkot( Punjab ) 35 kms from IB . Training and firing camp.
Major Terrorist Leadership Killed
The spine of terror groups in Pakistan has been shattered. There are confirmed reports that approximately 150 Terrorists have been killed in various camps and also 50 Pakistan Army soldiers have lost their lives in follow up action on 8 and 9 May 2025. The following top terrorist commanders also have been killed:–
- Hafiz Muhmmad Jammel (Brother in law of Masood Azhar, Head of Jaish training)
- Yusuf Azhar, Narcotics expert
- Abdul Malik Rauf second-in-command to Masood Azhar
- Mudasir Ahmed of Jaish who planned and executed the hijacking of IC 814 in 1999 and Parliament attack 2011.
- Mohmmad Hasan Khan
- Mudasir Khalid Khas @ Abu Jindal who planned the Pulwama attack on CRPF in 2019.
- Khalid @Abu Akasha, an arms supplier to LeT
Their funeral was held in Pakistan and attended by many top Army and Police Officers which established the nexus between terror organisations, the Pakistan army and the Police.
Funeral Service of Killed Terrorists in the presence of Pakistan Army Officers
Pakistani response to the Indian Strike
On 8 May at 1700h the Pakistan Army responded with a mass drone attack on various western towns of India all along the LOC/ International border.
Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Bhatinda, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Firozpur, Jaisalmer, Barmer and Kutch were attacked with Chinese, Turkish and Iran-made drones and Al Fateh missiles.
On 9 May, the battle of drones continued. Udhampur was also targeted.
Artillery duels continued all along LOC especially in Poonch, Uri, Rajouri and Akhnoor sector as also in the Kashmir Valley.
The Indian Defensive Response
Indian Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS), in simpler words the Air Defence grid, with its multiple weapon and command and control systems, totally neutralised the enemy offensive
The IACCS It has been indigenously developed by Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and augmented by weaponry from friendly nations like Russia and Israel. The main weapon components are
- Missiles like Russian S-400, Indian Akash SAMs, S-125 Pechora SAM which were only selectively pressed into service.
- Anti-aircraft guns like SA-5 Gammon, Strela 10, SP ZSU 23mm twin barrel, L/70 and l/70 Bofore and others.
The Indian Offensive Response
India responded with missile and drone attacks on Lahore and Sialkot Air Force Radars/Surveillance systems and destroyed them.
On 9 May, India again carried out a Missile attack on Pakistan Air Bases at
- Rahim Yar Khan, Chaklala
- Sukkur
- Sargodha
All targets registered severe losses.
The massive Indian response sent shock waves not only in Pakistan but across the world. The Pakistani leadership desperately approached many countries, especially the United States, to broker a cease fire
India had from the beginning defined the military objective to neutralise terror structure operating from the neighbouring country which had been achieved on the night of 6/7 May itself,
India, therefore, made it clear that it will ceasefire if Pakistan does so otherwise its military response would continue.
The Ceasefire
On 10 May 2025, ceasefire was declared after the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of the Pakistan Army rang up his counterpart in the Indian Army on the hot line and requested for a ceasefire.
There were some violations but finally all Guns have fallen silent since 12 May.
India has achieved the Aim in 96 hours.
The Future
India has declared that henceforth all terrorist activity emanating from Pakistan of any other external source will be deemed to be an Act of War.
India has also shattered the Nuclear blackmail syndrome of Pakistan.
This operation was against Terrorism and not against people of Pakistan.
Indian Armed forces will remain on high alert.
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