Operation Sindoor sends an unambiguous message — India will hunt down terrorists in their hideouts

India’s May 7 counter strikes against Pakistan-based terror groups are different from the Balakot strike as India simultaneously struck nine targets, putting a heavy cost on Pakistan.

In Operation Sindoor, India’s armed forces conducted ‘precise strikes’ at nine camps of major terror groups in Pakistan’s heartland Punjab and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in the early hours of May 7. The airstrikes sent out a clear message to India’s western neighbour that any terror action will not go unpunished. New Delhi’s measured response, coupled with its diplomatic efforts, is praiseworthy, and is sure to win it international respect.

The targets were the terror camps of the three terror groups — Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) at Bahawalpur, Sialkot, Muridke, Kotli, Rawalakot, and Muzaffarabad — which had provided training to terrorists involved in numerous attacks against India for more than two decades now.

The May 7 strikes were in response to the terror attack by Pakistan-based terror group, The Resistance Front (TRF), in Pahalgam, Kashmir, on April 22, where 26 innocent civilians were killed and scores injured. TRF is a front for the UN-proscribed LeT.

According to Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, the above action was taken as there were reports from the intelligence agencies that more terrorists had assembled at these terror camps and were ready to strike inside India. Since Pakistan refused to act against these terrorists, India was forced to act to ensure the safety of its citizens.

After the April 22 terror attack, the consensus in India was that a military response was required to discourage Pakistan from indulging in similar attacks in the future. The 2019 Balakot airstrike helped in preserving deterrence against these attacks for six years.

Islamabad has called the Indian strikes ‘an unprovoked and blatant act of war’ that violated Pakistan’s sovereignty, and that India’s action will not go ‘unanswered’. India has put its air defence units along the border with Pakistan on high alert and is ready to respond to any misadventure by Pakistan.

It may be recalled that the UN Security Council’s April 25 statement on the Pahalgam terror attack underlined ‘the need to hold perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of this reprehensible act of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice’. Most countries have supported India, including its right to respond, pre-empt, and deter more cross-border terror attacks.

Pakistan has the reputation of being a safe haven for terrorists, the most infamous being al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, who was killed by US forces in Abbottabad in 2011. Others include Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar, Sajid Mir, and Dawood Ibrahim. Several terrorists hiding in Pakistan have been named by the UN’s 1267 Sanctions Committee, and Pakistan has for many years been placed in the Financial Action Task Force’s black and grey lists for lack of effective laws, regulations, and actions against terrorism.

Pakistan refused to take any credible action against the organisers and perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks which resulted in the death of about 170 people. Only LeT’s Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi was imprisoned, but here too he was let operate freely. In 2015, Lakhvi was set free due to a lack of evidence.

India’s May 7 counterstrikes against Pakistan-based terror groups are different from the Balakot strike as India simultaneously struck nine targets, including some in the heartland of Punjab, putting a heavy cost on Pakistan. Operation Sindoor sends out an unambiguous message to terror handlers in Rawalpindi that India will hunt down the perpetrators wherever they hide.

This clearly conveys India’s firm resolve to strike against terrorists anywhere. This, together with other diplomatic actions taken by India, including the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, should make Pakistan rethink before organising any terrorist action in the future and help India in re-establishing an effective deterrence again.

(Yogesh Gupta is a Former Secretary in Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi.)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.