India Reaffirms Commitment to Justice and Security Through Operation Sindoor

In a powerful demonstration of restraint, resolve, and responsibility, the Government of India today formally announced the execution of Operation Sindoor — a precise, intelligence-driven military action targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).

The operation comes in direct response to the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which left 26 civilians dead, including one Nepali citizen, in what authorities have called the most barbaric terrorist incident in India since the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in 2008.

Speaking at a high-level press briefing in New Delhi, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri delivered a detailed account of the events that necessitated the operation, placing India’s actions within the framework of international law and the global fight against terrorism.

Pahalgam Attack: A Calculated Act of Terrorism

Describing the Pahalgam attack as “savage” and “meticulously planned,” Misri confirmed that the perpetrators were operatives of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a UN-designated terrorist organization based in Pakistan. The attack, which targeted innocent tourists — many of them women and children — involved execution-style killings from point-blank range, often carried out in the presence of family members. Victims were deliberately targeted to maximize trauma and fear, with the intent of sending what the Foreign Secretary called “a grotesque message.”

According to Misri, the objective behind the attack was clear: to undermine the economic recovery and growing normalcy in Jammu & Kashmir, particularly its flourishing tourism sector, which saw a historic 23 million visitors in 2024. “The calculation,” he said, “was to harm growth and development, keep the region backward, and thereby sustain fertile ground for continued cross-border terrorism.”

He further stated that the attackers sought to inflame communal tensions and disrupt interfaith harmony — both within Jammu & Kashmir and across India — a strategy that India has seen deployed before by elements seeking to destabilize the region. “It is to the credit of the government and the people of India that these malicious designs were foiled,” Misri added.

Evidence of Pakistani Complicity

India has long maintained that Pakistan is a state sponsor of terrorism, and the Pahalgam attack, according to the Foreign Secretary, fits into a pattern of cross-border terror operations historically facilitated by Pakistani soil and intelligence networks. He pointed out that a group calling itself The Resistance Front (TRF), which claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack, is a front organization for LeT, used as a cover to escape international scrutiny.

India had already shared detailed inputs on TRF with the UN’s 1267 Sanctions Monitoring Team in May and November 2024, and again in December 2023, where it provided evidence of the group’s links to both LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). Misri noted with concern that Pakistan actively sought to have references to TRF removed from the April 25 UN Security Council Press Statement on the Pahalgam attack, reflecting Islamabad’s pattern of shielding terror groups under its strategic umbrella.

Further reinforcing the charge of complicity, Misri stated that investigations had uncovered communication links between the attackers and handlers based in Pakistan, as well as social media reposts of TRF claims by LeT-linked accounts, which served to authenticate the origin and coordination of the attack. Eyewitness testimonies and forensic analysis have also helped Indian agencies identify the attackers, planners, and their Pakistani backers.

India’s Right to Self-Defence: Operation Sindoor Executed with Precision and Restraint

In light of these findings and given the lack of any credible action by Pakistan against the perpetrators — coupled with intelligence suggesting imminent further attacks — India exercised what the Foreign Secretary called its “right to respond, pre-empt, and deter.”

Operation Sindoor, launched in the early hours of May 7, was described as a “measured, non-escalatory, proportionate, and responsible” military operation, focused solely on neutralizing terrorist infrastructure. No Pakistani military assets were targeted, reflecting India’s intention to avoid any broader military conflict or provocation, while sending a clear and unequivocal message to those who plan, fund, and support terrorism.

“Our intent was to disable terrorist launch pads, communication nodes, and staging points,” Misri stated, “and to make clear that the cost of enabling cross-border terror will be exacted, but with precision and restraint.”

The operation reportedly involved joint coordination among the Indian Army, Air Force, and intelligence services, and was executed with surgical accuracy. Accompanying the Foreign Secretary at the briefing were Colonel Sofia Quareshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, who shared initial technical and tactical insights on the mission. Further details are expected in a comprehensive military briefing later today.

A Global Context: Counterterrorism and Multilateral Support

India’s response is firmly aligned with the international legal framework for self-defence against terrorism. Misri pointed to the UN Security Council’s Press Statement of April 25, which underlined the need to hold the “perpetrators, organisers, financiers, and sponsors” of the Pahalgam attack accountable.

India’s actions, he said, were in direct compliance with that directive. “We have acted not just in our national interest, but in the collective interest of all nations committed to eradicating terrorism,” Misri said. He also reaffirmed India’s commitment to international cooperation, including with regional and global partners, to strengthen counterterrorism frameworks and accountability mechanisms.

India Stands for Peace — But Will Not Tolerate Terror

Throughout the briefing, India’s emphasis remained on responsible state behaviour, even in the face of grievous provocation. While deeply mourning the loss of innocent lives, India has demonstrated that its commitment to peace is not incompatible with its duty to protect its citizens.

The Foreign Secretary concluded with a message of unity and determination: “India will not be provoked into reckless action. But neither will we allow those who murder our people to escape justice. Operation Sindoor is a message — not just to the terrorists, but to those who shelter them — that India will respond, calmly but decisively, in defence of its people and values.”

As India continues to investigate the broader network behind the Pahalgam attack and plans further diplomatic engagements, Operation Sindoor stands as a landmark moment in India’s counterterrorism doctrine — a model of strength tempered with responsibility, and retaliation governed by justice.

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