THURSDAY 08 MAY, 2025 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC SINCE 1818 Twitter.com/thestatesman Facebook.com/thestatesman KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR The whole country was looking up to us. We are proud of our Army. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India OPERATION SINDOOR INDIA STRIKES NINE TERROR SITES IN PAKISTAN, PoJK Missile strikes were carried out targeting specific locations in steps that were measured, focused and non-escalatory in nature: Govt Parwinder Sandhu NEW DELHI, 7 MAY A fortnight after 26 tourists were gunned down in Pahalgam byPakistan-sponsored terrorists, India launched Operation Sindoor to avenge the killings.Targeting nine sites harbouringterroristsinPakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), Indian Armed Forces launched a postmidnight strike which lasted for 25 minutes. A statement from the Ministry of Defence stated that the strike, which was carried out in the intervening night of 6-7 May, was 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," an army spokesperson had stated while announcing the strikes. Justifying Operation Sindoor, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that it was carried out to avenge the deaths of 26 tourists’ deaths in Pahalgam by Pakistan sponsored terrorists on 22 April. “The attack in Pahalgam was marked by extreme barbarity, with the victims mostly killed with head-shots from close range and in front of their families. Family members were deliberately traumatized through the manner of the killing, accompanied by the exhortation that they should take back the message,” Mr Misri said while addressing a media briefing, hours after the strike. “The manner of the attack was also driven by an objective of provoking communal discord, both in Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of the Nation. It is to the credit of the government and the people of India that these designs were foiled,” he added. “Our intelligence monitoring of Pakistan-based terrorist modules indicated that further attacks against India were impending. There was thus a compulsion both to deter and to pre-empt. Our actions were measured and non-escalatory, proportionate and responsible. They focused on dismantling ter- rorists' infrastructure," he said. In the highly secretive operation, India carried out strikes against 9 terror camps of Hizb-ul-Mujahidin (HM, Jaish-e-Mohammed ( JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiyyaba (LeT) located in both Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. It included Markaz Subhan Allah, Bahawalpur – JeM, Markaz Taiba, Muridke – LeT, Sarjal, Tehra Kalan – JeM, Mehmoona Joya, Sialkot – HM, Markaz Ahle Hadith, Barnala – LeT, Markaz Abbas, Kotli – JeM, Maskar Raheel Shahid, Kotli – HM, Shawai Nalla Camp, Muzaffarabad – LeT, and S y e d n a B i l a l C a m p, Muzaffarabad - JeM Detailing the attack that was carried out in complete secrecy, Col Sofyia Quereshi said that it started at 1.05 am and was over by 1.30 am. “Over the last three decades Pakistan has systematically built terror infrastructure. It is a complex web of recruitment and indoctrination centres, training areas for initial and refresher courses and launch pads with handlers. These camps are located both in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” said the officer. Four children among 15 killed, 57 injured as Pakistan targets civilians in Poonch SP Sharma JAMMU, 7 MAY A 7-year-old girl, a 10-year old boy, and two other minors were among at least fifteen people killed in indiscriminate artillery shelling by Pakistan Army on the civilian areas of the border districtofPoonchonWednesday while more than 57 people were injured. The Pakistani Army was shelling civilian areas of Poonch and other places along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB). The Indian Army is responding to the shelling in equal measure, official sources said on the ceasefire violations by Pakistani forces after India carried out missile strikes against nine terror targets in Pakistan and PoK. Ayan (14) and Aruba (12), sonanddaughterofoneRameez Khan, were killed in the Kalaani village that was heavily pounded.7-year-oldMaryamKhatoon was killed in the Qazi Mohra village. The Pakistani Army targeted civilian areas in Mendhar, CBI chief gets one-year extension for Centre calls want of consensus on successor all-party meet AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 7 MAY The central government on Wednesday extended by one year the tenure of CBI director Praveen Sood after no consensus on his successor could be reached. The decision to this effect was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, official sources said. Earlier this week, Prime MinisterNarendraModichaired a meeting of the selection committee for the appointment of CBI Director. The meeting, held at the PMO, was attended by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi along with other government officials. However, no consensus could be reached on the issue. Sood, a 1986-batch IPS officer of the Karnataka cadre, would have completed his two-year term on May 24. The officer, who also served as DGP in Karnataka, took over as the new CBI director in May 2023 for a period of two years. He replaced Subodh Jaiswal, who was heading the premier probe agency at that point of time. CBI Director is appointed by the union government on the recommendation of a three-member appointment committee, which comprises the LoP in Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India. Prime Minister heads it. In 2019, the Supreme Court had directed that no officer with less than a tenure of six months remaining can be considered for the post of CBI Director. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 7 MAY Mankote, Balakote, Krishna Ghati, Sagra, and Shahpur Kirni areas along the LoC and also Poonch town, resulting in damage to dozens of houses. Civilians were also targeted in North Kashmir’s Uri. Three devotees were killed in a gurdwara, a Muslim cleric lost his life when a madrassa was shelled and two persons of North Kashmir. Several houseshavealsobeendamaged in the area. The United Nations (UN) Field Station in the border town of Poonch was targeted with artillery shelling by Pakistan troops onWednesday morning. They are trying to strike even UN assets along the Line of Control (LoC). STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 7 MAY Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called off his scheduled three-nation European tour following Operation Sindoor against terror camps in Pakistan, a source said on Wednesday. The decision was taken in the wake of Operation Sindoor, a military strike launched by the Indian Armed Forces targeting terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. In a move seen as a retaliatory initiative to the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 25 Indian civilians and one Nepalese national, the Indian armed forces had early Wednesday carried out 24 precision missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, including Muridke and Bahawalpur, the strongholds of terror groups Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, respectively. The prime minister’s planned tour, which was to begin next week, was packed with key diplomatic engagements, and was set to include visits to Croatia, Norway, and the Netherlands. During his trip, Mr Modi was scheduled to attend the 3rd India-Nordic Summit in Oslo and hold discussions on high-tech collaboration in the Netherlands. The prime minister’s visit to Norway had an added significance as both nations have been trying to expand trade relations under the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Par tnership Agreement. India will retaliate if Pak decides to escalate: Doval Will wrap up tensions if India backs down: Pak defence minister STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 7 MAY NEW DELHI, 7 MAY InthewakeofOperationSindoor, a tri-service military action targeting nine high-value terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistanoccupied Kashmir (PoK), the Centre has convened an allparty meeting on Thursday at 11 a.m. to brief the nation's political leadership on the strategic strikes. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju announced this on Wednesday and wrote on X, "Govt has called an All Party leaders meeting at 11 am on 8th May, 2025 at Committee Room: G-074, in the Parliament Library Building, Parliament Complex in New Delhi." Earlier in the day, PM Modi metPresidentDroupadiMurmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan and formally briefed her on the operation. died near the Christ School in Poonch. Several residential houses have been damaged andmanymoreciviliansinjured in different sectors of Poonch due to intense shelling by Pakistan, and their condition was stated to be stable. Nine civilians, including three children, were injured due to shelling in the Uri Sector PM calls off three-nation European tour in wake of escalating India-Pak tensions India is believed to have told friendly nations that it did not want to escalate the situation after carrying out missile attacks onterrorists'hideoutsinPakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK), but is ready to retaliate iftheneighbouring country decides to escalate. NationalSecurity Adviser Ajit Doval, whoplayedasignificant role in chalking out India's response to the Pahalgam terror attack, called up his counterparts from the USA, UK, China, Saudi Arabia and other nations, and briefed them on ‘Operation Sindoor’ in which nine terror targets were hit. He is learnt to have apprised his interlocutors about the“actions taken and the method of execution, which was measured, non-escalatory and restrained”. Officials said Mr Doval spoke with the US NSA and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the UK NSA Jonathan Powell, Saudi NSA Musaid Al Aiban, UAE'sSheikhTahnoon, the Secretary General of NSC of UAE Ali Al Shamsi, and the NSA of Japan Masataka Okano. Contact was also established with Russian NSA Sergei Shoigu, member of the political bureau of CPC Central Committee & Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, WangYi,anddiplomaticAdviser to the French President, Emmanuel Bonne. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that the current tensions and escalated confrontation between India and Pakistan can come to a halt only if New Delhi backs out of its aggressive position. Asif's remarks came after India launched 'Operation Sindoor', targeting nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistanoccupied Kashmir (PoK) striking alleged terror hideouts. Pakistan also claimed to have responded to Indian airstrikes with counter-offensive measures along the Line of Control (LoC). Speaking to Bloomberg, Mr Asif said that Pakistan holds the right to respond to any aggression by India, insisting that Islamabad "was only responding" to India's attacks and should not be seen as the aggressor in the current conflict. “This has been initiated by India. If India is ready to back down, we will definitely wrap up this tension," he said. "As long as we are under attack, under fire, we have to respond. We have to defend ourselves. But if India backs down, we will wrap up this tension", the Pakistani Defence Minister added. Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt. General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that at least 26 people have been killed and 46 others injured in the airstrikes that New Delhi stated were conducted on terror camps in Pakistanoccupied Kashmir (PoK) and Punjab province. The country has been put on a 'red alert', with government hospitals ready for any emergency; airspace for all domestic and international flights closed for at least 24 to 36 hours; all educational institutions in capital Islamabad and the Punjab province closed; and, all forces on stand by following the late night Indian air strikes on terror hideouts in different parts of the country. Sindoor Spilled, Justice Served: PM Modi chose code name to avenge Pahalgam massacre Statesman News Service NEW DELHI, 7 MAY Sindoor, a symbol of marriage and purity, was the focal point of Operation Sindoor carried out by the armed forces to avenge the death of 26 tourists in Pahalgam by Pakistansponsored terrorists. Codenamed Operation Sindoor, the strike was carried out to eliminate nine terror bases located in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir. In the intervening night of 6-7 May, a joint operation wiped the nine bases within 25 minutes. According to reports, the name for the Operation was chosen by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The massacre which unleashed at Pahalgam on 22 April, saw many wives losing their husbands, who were shot dead at point-blank range. A few of the couples were on their honeymoon in the picturesque valley barely days after their marriages. The image put out by the Indian Army has Operation Sindoor is symbolic. One of the 'O' in Sindoor is symbol- ised by a bowl of vermilion, some of it spilled out, sym- bolising the barbarity with which their life partners were killed. The caption below reads: "Justice is served. Jai Hind." Speaking to the media, Ashanya Dwivedi, wife of Shubham Dwivedi, one of the 26 victims, expressed gratitude to the PM and the armed forces for fulfilling the promise of justice. “I would like to sincerely thank everyone who is connected to this operation, especially our personnel in the armed forces and espe- cially Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who personally looked after the operation,” she said. The 30-year-old Dwivedi was in Pahalgam with his wife and sister-in-law when terrorists shot him in the head. "It's a befitting reply after the way those terrorists erased the vermilion of our daughters," said Pragati Jagdale, widow of Santosh Jagdale, who was one of the victims. "On hearing the name of this operation, I got tears in my eyes. I sin- cerely thank the government," she said. "The attack in Pahalgam was marked by extreme barbarity, with the victims mostly killed with head-shots from close range and in front of their families. Family members were deliberately traumatized through the manner of the killing, accompanied by the exhortation that they should take back the message,” said Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said addressing a media briefing today.