In a night that reshaped the contours of strategic retaliation and national resolve, Operation Sindoor emerged not merely as a military response, but as an unequivocal declaration: the Republic of India shall never capitulate to terror. On May 7, 2025, as much of the nation lay under a canopy of uneasy slumber, the Indian Armed Forces executed a series of precision airstrikes on terror infrastructure deep within Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK). These strikes targeted entrenched hubs of extremely direful the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), long shielded by Pakistan’s security establishment.

In a span of just 25 minutes, India launched 24 missiles at nine known terrorist installations—including those in Muridke and Bahawalpur, nerve centres of LeT and JeM respectively. Intelligence reports indicate that over 70 terrorists were neutralised, with approximately 60 more gravely injured. Among the fatalities were close relatives of JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar—a man emblematic of Pakistan’s continued use of jihadist proxies.

Calibrated act

This calculated offensive was in direct response to the April 22, 2025 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir, where 26 civilians—including women and children—were brutally massacred reportedly by The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba. The assault evoked national mourning and ignited a public call for justice. What followed was not merely retaliation—it was a calibrated act of national assertion, rooted in moral clarity and strategic discipline.

Predictably, Islamabad responded with belligerence. Within hours of the Indian operation, Pakistan attempted a counter-escalation by launching drones and missiles toward fifteen Indian cities, including Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, and Bhuj. Thanks to India’s sophisticated Integrated Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) grid and air defence mechanisms, all incoming threats were intercepted and neutralised. The debris scattered across Indian territory now stands as silent evidence of Pakistan’s attempted escalation.

Message was clear

India’s second wave of response targeted key Pakistani air defence systems, with a radar installation in Lahore confirmed as neutralised. The Indian Ministry of Defence maintained that these operations remained non-escalatory, avoiding civilian and core military infrastructure—unless provoked. The message was crystal clear: Indian restraint should not be mistaken for passivity, but any act of aggression will be met with proportionate and decisive force.

Operation Sindoor catalysed a rare moment of political unity. In a high-level all-party meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, leaders across ideological lines expressed unwavering support for the armed forces. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut, and AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi all stood in solidarity. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju encapsulated the sentiment aptly: “There is no space for politics—only for patriotism.”

India's strategic clarity

A particularly poignant moment unfolded during the Defence Ministry's media briefing when Colonel Sofia Qureshi—one of India’s most decorated women officers—stood front and centre. A pioneer from the Army Signal Corps, Colonel Qureshi once led India’s first all-women contingent in a multinational exercise. Her presence beside Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, a Kashmiri Pandit, was no coincidence. As MP Shashi Tharoor eloquently noted, “It was a statement to the world: India’s fight is not rooted in religion, but in justice.”

Colonel Qureshi’s career, spotlighted in the Supreme Court’s 2020 verdict on women officers' Permanent Commission, adds gravitas to her role. Her contributions during UN peacekeeping missions in Congo and her continued leadership underscore the calibre of India’s military women. On this day, her poise embodied both India’s strategic clarity and moral conviction.

Human cost

Meanwhile, the human cost of Pakistan’s reckless countermeasures is being acutely felt in Indian border regions. Mortar shelling across districts like Poonch, Uri, and Kupwara claimed 16 civilian lives—including three women and five children. The Indian Army responded with equal intensity. Paying tribute to the fallen, Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi remarked, “Lance Naik Dinesh Kumar’s sacrifice will not go unanswered. Our retaliation will be relentless.”

The global response has been swift. Singapore issued a travel advisory warning its nationals against non-essential travel to Jammu & Kashmir and Pakistan. The European Union condemned the Pahalgam massacre unequivocally, acknowledging India’s right to self-defence while calling for regional stability. Within India, several state administrations moved into emergency preparedness. Haryana cancelled all medical staff leave, and emergency services were put on high alert.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened a high-level security review with key ministries, instructing officials to ensure robust civilian safety measures, continuity of governance, and real-time counter-misinformation protocols. Home Secretary Govind Mohan and senior bureaucrats have initiated mass evacuation drills in high-risk zones near the Line of Control.

But beyond the tactical and diplomatic contours, the human voices cut deepest. Kamakshi Prasanna, widow of Madhusudan Rao—one of the Pahalgam victims—spoke with haunting clarity: “People say we lost our husbands. We lost our lives. Operation Sindoor is not revenge. It is justice.” Her words carry the weight of a grieving yet unbroken nation.

Pakistan, on the global stage, once again struggled to maintain credibility. In a widely viewed CNN interview, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif failed to present evidence supporting claims of downed Indian jets. When pressed, he deflected by citing “Indian social media,” culminating in a moment of international embarrassment.

Symbolic blows

Indian intelligence also released satellite imagery of the obliterated Markaz Subhan Allah camp in Bahawalpur, a known JeM stronghold and training facility, previously linked to the 2019 Pulwama attack. Its destruction marks not just a strategic blow, but a symbolic one—the operational core of Jaish has been penetrated.

This was no routine border engagement. Operation Sindoor heralds a paradigm shift in India’s counter-terrorism posture. It affirms an India that speaks with restraint but acts with resolve, an India that mourns its martyrs not with despair, but with decisive strength.

As Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh concluded: “This is not over. Operation Sindoor is still in motion. If they escalate, we will respond—not just in kind, but in full force.”

Erase Pakistan from the map of the world as one would a rogue state that defies all norms of humanity and justice! Let the world take heed: India is not at war—but it is no longer at peace with terror.

(The author, based in Dhaka, was a freedom fighter to establish Bangladesh in 1971, and has served in leadership roles in major private sector enterprises. Views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at khan815@gmail.com )