The Indian Armed Forces reaffirmed on Monday, May 12, that Operation Sindoor was solely aimed at targeting terror camps located in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK), asserting that Islamabad bore full responsibility for any resulting losses.
The operation was launched in response to the recent terror attack in Pahalgam and led to the destruction of at least nine terror camps. Following Pakistan’s aerial strikes on Indian civilian and military sites, Indian forces retaliated by hitting three airfields inside Pakistan. According to official statements, the strikes resulted in the deaths of over 100 terrorists and between 30 to 40 Pakistani military personnel.
“It is a pity that the Pakistani military chose to intervene and that for terrorists, and hence we chose to respond. Our fight was with terrorists and their infrastructure, and not Pakistan’s military. That’s why we struck only terror camps on May 7. It is a pity that Pakistan’s military chose to side with terrorists and made it their own fight. That’s why our retaliation was necessary. They are themselves responsible for their losses,” Air Marshal AK Bharti said at a special media briefing this afternoon.
Director General of Military Operations Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai, Vice Admiral AN Pramod, and Maj Gen SS Sharda were also present at the briefing.
The senior officer of the Air Force said the country’s air defence system stood like a wall protecting the country. “Our battle-proven systems stood the test of time and take them head on. Another highlight has been the stellar performance of the indigenous air defence system, the Akash system. Putting together and operationalising the potent AD environment has been possible only because of budgetary and policy support from the government of India in the last decade,” he added.
Bharti also said, “All our military bases, all our systems continue to remain fully operational and ready to undertake any future missions should the need so arise.”
The Indian armed forces managed to minimise the damage to both civilian and military infrastructure in the country despite the unrelenting efforts by the Pakistani forces, said Air Marshal Bharti.
DGMO Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai says, “In the last few years, the character of terrorist activities have changed. Innocent civilians were being attacked.”
Ghai added, “Targetting our airfields and logistics is way too tough… I saw that Virat Kohli has just retired from test cricket; he is one of my favourites. In the 1970s, during the Ashes between Australia and England, two Australian bowlers destroyed the batting lineup of England, and then Australia gave a proverb – “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, if Thommo don’t get ya, Lillee must”. If you see the layers, you’ll understand what I am trying to say. Even if you crossed all the layers, one of the layers of this grid system will hit you.”
