Highlights: 'Pahalgam attack was escalation ... ,' India briefs UNSC envoys on Operation Sindoor

This is a time for unity and solidarity and the Congress is standing firmly with the armed forces, the party said on Wednesday as Indian armed forces carried out missile strikes on terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said India's commitment to eliminating all sources of terrorism in Pakistan and PoK has necessarily to be uncompromising and always be anchored in the supreme national interest.

"This is a time for unity and solidarity. Right from the night of April 22nd, the Congress has been categorically stating that the government will have our fullest support in the nation's response to the Pahalgam terror attack," he said.

"The Congress is standing firmly with our armed forces," Ramesh said on X, using the hashtag "Operation Sindoor".

In retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack, Indian armed forces carried out missile strikes early Wednesday on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, including the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba's base Muridke.

Wife of Shubham Dwivedi who lost his life in Pahalgam terrorist attack, said, "I want to thank PM Modi for taking revenge for my husband's death. My entire family had trust in him, and the way he replied (to Pakistan), he has kept our trust alive. This is the real tribute to my husband. Wherever my husband is, he will be at peace today."

All educational institutions in five border districts of the Jammu will remain closed on Wednesday in the wake of prevailing situation in the region, officials said. In retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack, Indian armed forces early Wednesday carried out missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, including the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba''s base in Muridke.

"In view of the prevailing situation, all schools, colleges and educational institutions in Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Rajouri and Poonch will remain closed today," Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar said on X.

According to defence sources, three civilians were killed in indiscriminate firing and shelling by the Pakistan military across the Line of Control and International Border in Jammu and Kashmir last night.

BJP leader Altaf Thakur said, "This was the demand of the public and under the Operation Sindoor, attack has been launched at nine locations...This is a very good step. The Indian Army has resolved to end terrorism by launching Operation Sindoor. This was the need of the hour."

Former Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria (Retd) said, "Indian Armed Forces have unleashed Operation Sindoor in response to the heinous terrorist strike at Pahalgam. Nine terrorist sites and their infrastructure have been targeted in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. All targets chosen belong to the terrorist network and none were military targets...The cowardly and barbaric attack by terrorists at Pahalgam has been avenged following the overall directions of PM Modi to inflict unimaginable punishment to the terrorists and their backers..."

US Secretary Marco Rubio in a post said, "I am monitoring the situation between India and Pakistan closely. I echo POTUS's comments earlier today that this hopefully ends quickly and will continue to engage both Indian and Pakistani leadership towards a peaceful resolution"

BJP leader Kavinder Gupta said, "Pakistan is not going to survive for long. Pakistan is going to be divided into several parts and will be removed from the map of the world."

"Of the nine targets successfully hit by the Indian forces, four are in Pakistan and five in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The targets in Pakistan include Bahawalpur, Muridke and Sialkot. Special precision munitions were used to target the terror camps. The three services jointly carried out the operation and mobilisation of assets and troops," said sources.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has beenconstantly monitoring the Operation Sindoor throughout the night, sources said to ANI.

The strike called by the Indian forves on all the nine targets has been successful, sources further revealed. The Indian forces had selected the location for strikes with the intent of targeting top Jaish e Muhammed and Lashkar leadership for their role in sponsoring terrorist activities in India.

In the early hours of Wednesday, Indian Army launched the Operation Sindoor, hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed," said an official statement from the Ministry of Defence.

"Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in the selection of targets and method of execution," the statement said.

"Due to ongoing situation, airports in parts of northern India, including Dharamshala (DHM), Leh (IXL), Jammu (IXJ), Srinagar (SXR), and Amritsar (ATQ), are closed until further notice. Departures, arrivals, and consequential flights may be impacted. Passengers are advised to plan their journey accordingly and check flight status," posts official X account of SpiceJet.

Indian forces targeted the headquarters of the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba groups in the missile strike against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Jammu and Kashmir in the early hours of Wednesday, officials said. Among the nine sites targeted are the JeM headquarters in Bahawalpur and the LeT's in Muridke, both in Pakistan Punjab, they said.

A Pakistani armed force spokesperson confirmed to BBC in an interview that the IAF had targeted Bahawalpur and Muridke.

India has categorically stated that its actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature and that no Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India's action comes two weeks after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed,

"A little while ago, the Indian Armed forces launched 'Operation Sindoor' hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed," the Defence Ministry said in a statement released at 1.44 am.

"India has demonstrated considerable restraint in the selection of targets and method of execution," it said.

Bahawalpur became the hub of the JeM terror group after the release of Masood Azhar in exchange for the hijacked passengers of IC-814 in 1999. The group has since then been involved in a series of terror strikes in India, including the Parliament attack in 2001, the strike on the Jammu and Kashmir assembly in 2000, the attack on the IAF base in Pathankot in 2016 and the Pulwama suicide bombing in 2019.

Azhar, designated a global terrorist, has not been seen in public since April 2019. He started the terror outfit in January 2000 and received assistance from Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the then Taliban leaders in Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden and Sunni sectarian outfits in Pakistan, officials said.

Muridke, 30 km from Lahore, has been the headquarters of the LeT since 1990. It is headed by Hafiz Saeed and responsible for the 26/11 terror siege of Mumbai. It has also carried out terror strikes many other parts of the country, including Jammu and Kashmir, Bangalore and Hyderabad, officials said.

Saeed, the shadowy mastermind of the LeT, designated as a terror group by the United Nations Security Council, is in India's most wanted list.

"Due to changing airspace conditions in the region, our flights to and from Srinagar, Jammu, Amritsar, Leh, Chandigarh and Dharamshala are impacted. Flights to/from Bikaner are also impacted by the current airspace restrictions," said IndiGo.

"Precision strike weapon systems of the three forces, the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force, were used in the attacks, including the loitering munitions. The coordinates for the attacks on terrorist camps inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir were provided by the intelligence agencies. The attacks were carried out from Indian soil only," Sources to ANI.

US Congressman Shri Thanedar said, "India has the right to defend itself after what happened in Pahalgam. Terrorists were focused on making sure the people they're killing are Hindus. Now that India has started to target the infrastructure of the terrorists and planned 9 such attacks, so India has the right to defend itself. India has a right to retaliate for what appears to be barbaric acts. I'm urging that United States supports India at this difficult time. First of all, the United States must recognise India's right to protect its people and its territory. Secondly, the United States must encourage a thorough and complete investigation about the terrorist attack."

Hours after the Indian Armed Forces launched 'Operation Sindoor' and struck nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), several opposition leaders came out in support of the Army, praising the precision strikes across the border that came in response to the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, which killed 26 people.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi posted on X: "They asked about religion. Now suffer your karma. Indian Army."

Aditya Thackeray also praised the action, saying, "Terrorism in all its forms has to be eliminated... Hit them, hard enough that terrorism doesn't stand a chance ever again. Jai Hind!"

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said, "Hail India! There should be neither terror nor separatism! We are proud of our brave soldiers and the Indian Army."

Earlier, defence minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday reacted to 'Operation Sindoor', launched by the Indian Armed Forces to carry out precision strikes on nine terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), days after the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people.

In a post on X, the defence minister wrote, "Bharat Mata ki Jai."

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath also lauded the Indian Army. In a post on X, he wrote, "Jai Hind! Jai Hind Ki Sena!"

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif tweets, "The cunning enemy has carried out cowardly attacks on five locations in Pakistan. Pakistan has every right to respond forcefully to this act of war imposed by India, and a forceful response is being given. The entire nation stands with the Pakistani armed forces, and the morale and spirit of the entire Pakistani nation are high. The Pakistani nation and the Pakistani armed forces know how to deal with the enemy. We will never allow the enemy to succeed in their nefarious goals."

The attacks on the multiple targets across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir under #OperationSindoor was a joint operation by the Indian Army and Air Force using precision strike weapons, sources told ANI.

1. Terrorists killed 26 civilians in Jammu & Kashmir on April 22 in a brutal and heinous attack.

2. India has credible leads, technical inputs, testimony of the survivors and other evidence pointing towards the clear involvement of Pakistan-based terrorists in this attack.

3. It was expected that Pakistan would take action against terrorists and the infrastructure that supports them. Instead, during the fortnight that has gone by, Pakistan has indulged in denial and made allegations of false flag operations against India.

4. India’s actions have been focused and precise. They were measured, responsible and designed to be non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani civilian, economic or military targets have been hit. Only known terror camps were targeted.

5. Shortly after the strikes, NSA Shri Ajit Doval spoke with US NSA and Secretary of State Marco Rubio and briefed him on the actions taken.

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres was "very concerned" about Indian military strikes on Pakistan, his spokesperson said on Tuesday, hours after India said it hit nine sites in Pakistani territory.

"The Secretary-General is very concerned about the Indian military operations across the Line of Control and international border. He calls for maximum military restraint from both countries. The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan," said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson.

"India's actions have been focused and precise. They were measured, responsible and designed to be non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani civilian, economic or military targets have been hit. Only known terror camps were targeted. Shortly after the strikes, NSA Shri Ajit Doval spoke with the US NSA and Secretary of State Marco Rubio and briefed him on the actions taken," said Indian Embassy in Washington.

Shortly after Indian strikes on Pak, NSA Ajit Doval speaks with US NSA and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said Indian Embassy.

On the Indian Armed Forces launching ‘Operation Sindoor’, US state department spokesperson to ANI said, "We are aware of the reports. However, we have no assessment to offer at this time. This remains an evolving situation, and we are closely monitoring developments"

Indian Army tweets, "Pakistan again violates the Ceasefire Agreement by firing Artillery in Bhimber Gali in Poonch- Rajauri area. Indian Army is responding appropriately in a caliberated manner."

"A little while ago, the Indian Armed Forces launched 'OPERATION SINDOOR', hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed. Altogether, nine (9) sites have been targeted. Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution. These steps come in the wake of the barbaric Pahalgam terrorist attack in which 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen were murdered. We are living up to the commitment that those responsible for this attack will be held accountable. There will be detailed briefing on 'OPERATION SINDOOR', later today," reads a press release by PIB.

The operations were precise, calculated and maintained a non-escalatory approach. We specifically avoided targeting any Pakistani military installations. India exercised significant restraint whilst choosing the targets and implementing the operation. These actions were undertaken following the brutal terrorist incident at Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 25 Indians and one Nepali national. We are fulfilling our pledge to ensure accountability for those behind this attack. The Ministry of Defence will provide comprehensive details about 'OPERATION SINDOOR' later in the day: Defence ministry