In a powerful pre-dawn response to the deadly April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, the Indian armed forces launched 24 precision missile strikes early Wednesday on nine terror infrastructure targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK). The coordinated strikes, executed at 1:44 am, focused on known strongholds of terror groups Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Muridke and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Bahawalpur.
According to official figures, over 70 terrorists were killed and more than 60 others injured in the operation, which severely crippled the operational capacity of the targeted groups. The Ministry of Defence confirmed that the strikes were aimed exclusively at terrorist facilities from where attacks against India have been orchestrated.
“Our actions have been focused, measured, and non-escalatory,” the Defence Ministry said in a statement, emphasizing that no Pakistani military installations were targeted. “India has demonstrated considerable restraint in the selection of targets and method of execution.”
The missile strikes come in the wake of a horrific terror assault in Jammu & Kashmir’s Anantnag district that killed 26 people, including 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the nation, vowed to track down and punish those responsible “to the ends of the earth.”
The strikes occurred just hours ahead of a massive nationwide civil defence mock drill spanning 244 districts, aimed at improving preparedness for potential hostile actions.
Wednesday’s operation marks one of the most significant cross-border strikes by India in recent years, reinforcing its commitment to holding perpetrators of terrorism accountable while carefully avoiding escalation with the Pakistani military.
As regional tensions rise, global attention is now focused on Islamabad’s response and the broader implications for South Asian stability.
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