Srinagar, May 7— On the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, India carried out strikes on nine locations it described as “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir in response to a deadly attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians.
The operation, named Operation Sindoor, was confirmed in a statement by the defence ministry at 1:44 am.
“A little while ago, Indian armed forces struck terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed,” the statement noted.
The ministry said the targets were carefully chosen. “Our actions have been focused, measured, and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in the selection of targets and method of execution,” the statement mentioned. However, the specific locations targeted were not disclosed.
Pakistan’s military swiftly responded, accusing India of launching missile strikes on civilian areas. “India carried out a cowardly and shameful attack from within its own airspace. They were never allowed to intrude into Pakistan’s airspace,” said Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, spokesperson for Inter-Services Public Relations, in an interview with ARY News.
Chaudhry claimed that the strikes hit the Subhanullah mosque in Bahawalpur’s Ahmed East area and sites in Kotli and Muzaffarabad.
Social media reports from within Pakistan also alleged that a mosque in Muridke, the known headquarters of the banned Lashkar-e-Tayyaba group, was among the locations hit.
The government of India reiterated that the action was a direct response to the recent attack in Pahalgam.
“We are living up to the commitment that those responsible for this attack will be held accountable,” the defence ministry stated.
International news agency Reuters reported that one child was killed and two persons were injured in the Bahawalpur strike.
Pakistani media later claimed that its military had launched retaliatory strikes, with five deaths reportedly confirmed in Pakistan so far.
“We will respond to this at a time and place of our own choosing,” Chaudhry said.
Meanwhile, residents in Srinagar reported hearing aircraft flying overhead through the night.