The Sindoor Playbook

With nuclear arsenals on both sides, the international community has called on India and Pakistan to de-escalate the situation

- Avantika Mehta IS A SENIOR ASSOCIATE EDITOR BASED IN NEW DELHI

IN the dead of night on May 7, for twenty-five minutes, India rained fire on Pakistan’s terror infrastructure, taking out two major headquarters of terror outfits and six training camps and launch pads, the government has said.

The strikes, codenamed Operation Sindoor, are a proportionate response to the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, where four-six terrorists shot dead 26 people, New Delhi has said. India’s intelligence network has stated that Pakistan-based The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), planned the attack.

Citing precision technology, the government has said it specifically targeted key Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and LeT bases which have been involved in planning terror attacks against India. Reports from both Pakistan and India suggest that at least 70 people are dead. Delhi has said that 70 terrorists were killed.

“Terror camps in Pakistan and PoK (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir) have been neutralised. It is a matter of pride for us,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said. He added, “The precision with which Operation Sindoor was executed is unimaginable and highly praiseworthy. Nine terrorist camps were destroyed and a significant number of terrorists were eliminated. The operation was carried out without harming any innocents and with minimal collateral damage.”

Pakistan has claimed 31 civilian deaths and 57 injuries, which its military says were caused by Indian munitions missing their intended targets.