India Inflicted Crippling Damage to Pak

DGMO Lt Gen Ghai says Pak will pay heavy price if it resorts to any misadventure

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

On Sunday, India announced the extensive damage, destruction, and crippling of Pakistan's military infrastructure under Operation Sindoor. Significantly, the government of India, for the first time revealed that the Indian navy, including its submarines played a crucial role in forcing Pakistan to assume a defensive posturing.

In a press conference that was addressed Air Marshal AK Bharti, Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai (Director General of Military Operations), Vice Admiral AN Pramod, and Maj Gen SS Sharda shared the reasons that led to Pakistan initiating the call for cease fire.

India again for the first time, also confirmed that it had downed Pakistani aircrafts while abstaining, for now, from revealing any other details, including the make and the number. Speculations suggest it could be either the Chinese JF-17 or the US F-16.

Launched in response to the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 Indian civilians, the operation, starting 7 May, combined precise military strikes with severe non-military measures to dismantle terrorist networks, punish state-sponsored terrorism, and deter future aggression from Pakistan.

As per the briefings by the four officers, the Indian Armed Forces conducted coordinated strikes on nine terrorist facilities—four within Pakistan, including Bahawalpur and Muridke, and five in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, such as Muzaffarabad and Kotli. These sites, operated by groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, responsible for the 2008 Mumbai and 2019 Pulwama attacks, served as command and training centres. Key operatives, including Mudassar Khadian Khas, Mohammad Yusuf Azhar, and Khalid, were eliminated.