THURSDAY 08 MAY 2025 Pages 16 |` 5.00 |LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘Justice is served’: India strikes nine terror sites in Pakistan, Pok Terror camps of the JeM, HM, LeT struck in post-midnight attacks that were ‘focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature’ PARWINDER SANDHU TAR RGETED LOCATIONS NEW DELHI, 7 MAY 98 A fortnight after 26 tourists were gunned down in Pahalgam by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists, India launched Operation Sindoor to avenge the killings. Targeting nine sites harbouring terrorists in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian Armed Forces launched a post-midnight 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 LOC 7 Islamabad m s amaba 6 Srinagar 5 Lahore PAKISTAN Jammu 4 2 3 Amritsar INDIA 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 The strike on the terror ca ps was underta en cam wa tak through precision capability, using niche ca technology weapons with careful selection of wa warheads that ensured no collateral damage. The point of impact in each of the targets was a t specific building or a group of buildings, according to a defence spokesperson. 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 traumatised The selection of targets for the strike operation was based on credible intelligence inputs and role of these facilities in perpetrating terror at activities, according to the spokesperson. The ct locations were selected with due diligence to avoid damage to civilian installations and loss of civilian lives. 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. “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 Baha B ha ha hawalpur (JeM) Marka M kaz Taiba, Muridke ka (L T) LeT) L Sarj S jal, Tehra Kalan (JeM) M Mehmoona Joya, Sialkot (H ) HM M Masjid Ahle Hadith Barnala, B Bhimber (LeT) M Markaz Abbas, Kotli (JeM) Maskar Raheel Shahid, Kotli M HM (H ) Shawai Nallah Camp, S Muzaffarabad (LeT) M Markaz Syedna Bilal, M Muzaffarabad (Jem) M India carried out strikes against r 9 terror camps of ca Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and J Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) located in at both Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir. r. 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 nonescalatory, proportionate and responsible. They focused on dismantling terrorists' infrastructure," he said. The armed forces carried out at least 24 strikes using a combination of SCALP missiles, HAMMER precision bombs and loitering munitions against a total of nine terror camps of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiyyaba (LeT) located in both Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. 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 borderdistrictofPoonchonWednesday while more than 57 people were injured. An Indian Army soldier, Lance Naik Dinesh Kumar, also died during the indiscriminate shelling in the Poonch Sector. The Pakistani Army was shelling civilian areas of Poonch and other India will retaliate if Pak decides to escalate: Doval STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 7 MAY India is believed to have told friendly nations that it did not want to escalate the situation after carrying out missile attacks on terrorists' hideouts in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK), but is ready to retaliate if the neighbouring country decides to escalate. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, who played a significant 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. 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's Sheikh Tahnoon, 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, Wang Yi, and diplomatic Adviser to the French President, Emmanuel Bonne. 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), son and daughter of one Rameez Khan, were killed in the Kalaani village that was heavily pounded. 7-year-old Maryam Khatoon was killed in Qazi Mohra. The Pakistani Army targeted civilian areas in Mendhar, 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 died near the Christ School in Poonch. Will wrap up tensions if India backs down: Pakistan defence minister AGENCIES ISLAMABAD, 7 MAY 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 Pakistan-occupied Kashmir 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. Pakistan PM Shahbaz Sharif, while addressing a session of parliament, lauded his country’s army for its ‘swift response’ to the Indian strikes, and claimed to have shot down five Indian jets, though without providing proof. Earlier, at an emergency meeting of the country’s National Security Committee, chaired by Mr Sharif, Pakistan condemned the Indian strikes as an ‘act of war’ and directed the Pakistani forces to deliver a ‘befitting response’. Mamata appeals for unity in current situation; all leave of essential govt employees cancelled STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 7 MAY Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today urged everyone to stay “united” and maintain “unity” without falling into any trap that could create divisions among people. She emphasised that, in order to strike a chord with everyone, we must work in unison in light of the emergency situation. Miss Banerjee also announced that the leave of employees in all relevant state government departments had been cancelled. She further urged the authorities of private schools in the state to bring forward the summer vacation, fol- lowing the example of government schools, on account of the emergency situation. Miss Banerjee, who held a press conference at the state secretariat in Nabanna today, stated: “The Union Home Minister held a meeting with the chief ministers of border states today. We have pledged to fight this out unitedly. There must be no division among us. There is no reason to panic. We must maintain contact with everyone during this emergency. This is the time to take a solemn pledge to protect our country. Leaves of employees in relevant state government departments have been cancelled.” She further issued a cau- tion against those allegedly spreading falsehoods by circulating fake news on social media, warning that those responsible would face consequences should any undesirable or misleading information be disseminated. The Chief Minister also advised against engaging in debates over unverified information, stressing the importance of preventing any situation that could escalate into frenzy or violence at this critical time. Modi calls off three-nation Europe tour, chairs Cabinet meet after Operation Sindoor STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 7 MAY Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of the Union Cabinet, on Wednesday, hours after 'Operation Sindoor' was launched by the armed forces to destroy terror camps located in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir. During the meeting, Mr Modi hailed the armed forces for carrying out targeted strikes against the terror camps, calling it a moment of pride, sources said. Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh briefed the other members of the Cabinet regarding Operation Sindoor during the meeting. The entire Cabinet hailed the military action and the prime minister’s leadership with thumping of desks. The Prime Minister informed the cabinet that the operation was executed exactly as planned, with "no mistakes whatsoever" and "successfully completed" the retaliatory attack. He also emphasised that the Army had carried out the mission adhering strictly to the detailed preparations that had been made in advance. PM Modi is also learnt to have said that his government will have zero tolerance towards terror. Mr Modi, meanwhile, has called off his scheduled threenation European tour, in the wake of Operation Sindoor, sources said. 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.