<p>India’s fortnight-long mobilisation of countermeasures following the massacre in Pahalgam has culminated in military action launched on terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). </p><p>The Indian forces hit nine terrorist camps in Bahawalpur, Muzaffarabad and other locations. Codenamed Operation Sindoor, the offensive was aimed at dismantling the infrastructure of terror and targetted locations where attacks against India were “planned and directed”. </p><p>According to reports, many terrorists were killed in the attacks. India had made it clear after the Pahalgam terror attack, on April 22, that action against the perpetrators and their supporters was imminent. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior leaders in the government had asserted the country’s resolve in delivering an appropriate response to the attack which left 26 people, including a Nepal national, dead.</p>.<p>India has said no Pakistani military facilities were hit in the operation and its actions have been “focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature”. Pakistan has described the strikes as “unprovoked”, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif saying that the aggression “will not go unpunished”, making clear the possibilities of a retaliation. </p><p>India was also prepared for a scaling-up of the conflict; it has been evident in measures to enhance civil defence preparedness such as the mock drills – held for the first time in five decades. </p><p>The country is likely to see an extended period of confrontation with Pakistan that goes beyond tit-for-tat actions. India’s military response comes after other steps such as the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and a series of diplomatic actions. It needs to be noted that the operation came following the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)’s reported censuring of Pakistan over the Pahalgam attack. The government has briefed all major countries about the situation India has been pushed into by Pakistan whose support for terrorism within India could only be considered as an attack on India.</p>.<p>The country is behind its Armed Forces in their actions. All efforts to protect India’s interests and its sovereignty and integrity will have the nation’s backing. Parties across political lines have also extended their support to the Forces. Pakistan will hopefully learn its lessons from this response and step back from the brink. </p><p>An extended war is not in the interests of either country, especially Pakistan which is in a state of serious economic turmoil and is politically close to implosion. India, a much stronger nation, has until now conducted itself with maturity and responsibility. It should continue to do so.</p>
<p>India’s fortnight-long mobilisation of countermeasures following the massacre in Pahalgam has culminated in military action launched on terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). </p><p>The Indian forces hit nine terrorist camps in Bahawalpur, Muzaffarabad and other locations. Codenamed Operation Sindoor, the offensive was aimed at dismantling the infrastructure of terror and targetted locations where attacks against India were “planned and directed”. </p><p>According to reports, many terrorists were killed in the attacks. India had made it clear after the Pahalgam terror attack, on April 22, that action against the perpetrators and their supporters was imminent. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior leaders in the government had asserted the country’s resolve in delivering an appropriate response to the attack which left 26 people, including a Nepal national, dead.</p>.<p>India has said no Pakistani military facilities were hit in the operation and its actions have been “focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature”. Pakistan has described the strikes as “unprovoked”, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif saying that the aggression “will not go unpunished”, making clear the possibilities of a retaliation. </p><p>India was also prepared for a scaling-up of the conflict; it has been evident in measures to enhance civil defence preparedness such as the mock drills – held for the first time in five decades. </p><p>The country is likely to see an extended period of confrontation with Pakistan that goes beyond tit-for-tat actions. India’s military response comes after other steps such as the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and a series of diplomatic actions. It needs to be noted that the operation came following the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)’s reported censuring of Pakistan over the Pahalgam attack. The government has briefed all major countries about the situation India has been pushed into by Pakistan whose support for terrorism within India could only be considered as an attack on India.</p>.<p>The country is behind its Armed Forces in their actions. All efforts to protect India’s interests and its sovereignty and integrity will have the nation’s backing. Parties across political lines have also extended their support to the Forces. Pakistan will hopefully learn its lessons from this response and step back from the brink. </p><p>An extended war is not in the interests of either country, especially Pakistan which is in a state of serious economic turmoil and is politically close to implosion. India, a much stronger nation, has until now conducted itself with maturity and responsibility. It should continue to do so.</p>
