India has said on Saturday morning hit eight military sites in Pakistan with air-launched precision weapons. The action, the government said, was in response to the Pakistan military’s brazen attacks on India’s military infrastructure and civilian areas using fighter jets, unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs), and missiles, the Ministry of Defence said.
The IAF struck military targets in Rafiqui, Murid, Chaklala, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, Chunian, Pasrur, and Sialkot areas of Pakistan, the Ministry announced at the special briefing on Operation Sindoor on Saturday morning amid esclating tensions between the two nations after the deadly 22 April Pahalgam terror attack.
“The targets hit by India included technical infrastructure, command and control centers, radar sites, and weapon storage areas,” said Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, one of the officials at the special joing briefing of Ministry of Defence and Ministry of External Affairs.
Colonel Qureshi said, “In a condemnable and unprofessional act, Pakistan made the health centre and the schools at the Srinagar, Avantipur and Udhampur Air Force Stations as its targets. Because of this unresponsible act, the intent of Pakistan was yet again seen to target civil infrastructure”
The attacks carried out precision attacks only on identified military targets.
‘Pakistan targeting civilians’
At the same briefing, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri accused Pakistan of targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, especially in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab. There is also a consistent attempt to sow discord between communities in India, Foreign Secretary, Vikram Misri said.
“There has been a particular focus in its targetting of civilian infrastructure and the population in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab,” Misri said during the special briefing on Saturday.
People in Srinagar and Jammu cities of Jammu and Kashmir woke up to loud explosions on Saturday morning as military tensions between India and Pakistan are escalating after the deadly Pahalgam terror attack. The explosions were again heard in Srinagar around noon.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting with Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and chiefs of the Indian Armed Forces at his residence in New Delhi. The meeting took place following India’s strikes at four airbases in Pakistan in the early hours of Saturday in reply to Pakistan’s attack on 26 Indian locations.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday (IST) spoke to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Rubio and to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to discuss the ongoing situation.
“He expressed US support for direct dialogue between India and Pakistan and encouraged continued efforts to improve communications,” US State Department said in a statement.
Foreign Secretary Misri emphasised that the actions being undertaken by Pakistan against India are being seen as “escalatory” and “provocative” in nature. He made the remarks during a press briefing on Saturday, where proofs of Pakistan’s escalatory and provocative actions were provided alongside exposing the lies being peddled by Pakistan.
“Pakistan’s actions constituted provocation, escalation. In response India defended and reacted in a responsible and measured fashion”.
Saturday’s development came a day after India foiled Pakistani drone strikes on 26 locations in Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat. In an armed drone strike, three civilians were injured in Punjab’s Ferozepur town last night.
Friday’s attack by Pakistan and counter-offensive by India comes a day after India destroyed nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
In response India defended and reacted in a responsible and measured fashion.
The strike by India, coined Operation Sindoor, came two weeks after the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed on 22 April.
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