NEW DELHI: India’s defence ministry announced early on Wednesday that the armed forces had targeted nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) from where terrorist strikes were planned and directed in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22. Here’s what is known so far:
Indian statement
1 A statement issued by India’s defence ministry at 1:44am on Wednesday said the armed forces carried out precision strikes on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK “from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed”.
2. A total of nine sites were targeted under the action codenamed “Operation Sindoor” and India’s actions were “focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature”, the statement said without giving details of the targets.
3. No Pakistani military facilities were targeted and India “demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution”, the statement said.
4. The strikes came in the wake of the “barbaric Pahalgam terrorist attack” that killed 25 Indians and a Nepali citizen. “We are living up to the commitment that those responsible for this attack will be held accountable,” the statement said.
5. Defence minister Rajnath Singh said in a social media post at 2.46 am: “Bharat Mata ki jai (Long live Mother India).”
6. Soon after, the Indian Army said in a social media post that Pakistan had again violated the ceasefire agreement by firing artillery in Bhimber Gali in Poonch- Rajauri area. Indian Army is responding appropriately in a calibrated manner, it said.
Pakistani reports
1. The chief spokesman of the Pakistani military’s media arm – Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) – was cited by state-run PTV as saying that India had struck three locations – Bahawalpur in Punjab province and Kotli and Muzaffarabad in PoK – “from air”.
2. “All planes of Pakistan Air Force are airborne. All strikes were made by India from its own airspace,” PTV reported.
3. “Pakistan will respond to it at a time and place of its own choosing. It will not go unanswered,” PTV reported.
4. Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the Pakistani military’s chief spokesman, was quoted by Geo News as saying that India had fired missiles at Bahawalpur, Kotli and Muzaffarabad.
5. “They [India] were never allowed to intrude into Pakistan’s airspace,” Lt Gen Chaudhry was quoted as saying by Geo News.