India’s anti-terror ‘Operation Sindoor’ concluded on Saturday after the announcement of ceasefire with Pakistan, even as the Defence Ministry confirmed extensive damage to the enemy’s land and air assets along the Line of Control and Central Pakistan and dismissed rumours about reverses on the Indian side.
The ceasefire sparked spontaneous celebrations across the country, especially border areas in Jammu and Kashmir and Rajasthan, with people shouting slogans of “Bharat Mata ki Jai”.The silencing of guns on both sides after four days marks a big military victory for India, which is sure that it will continue to dictate terms on the Indus Waters Treaty, which has been put in abeyance.
India has also emerged stronger as a military force and a deserving ‘Super Power’ – which subdued a nuclear-armed Pakistan – for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council, according to a defence analyst.The end of ‘Operation Sindoor’, said Defence officials, was subject to the condition that future acts of terror would be treated as an act of war and countered with full force.
The Ministry of Defence highlighted that during Operation Sindoor, the forces fended off three big waves of missile and drone attacks by Pakistan and responded by causing extensive damage to its air defence systems.In a joint media briefing by officials of the three forces after the ceasefire, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi highlighted the armed forces’ respect for all places of worship and dismissed rumours about Indian forces targeting mosques.
She also trashed as misinformation claims made by Pakistani military officers claiming that they destroyed Indian BrahMos installations using their JF-17 jets, and airfields at Surat and Sirsa.She also dismissed misinformation about harm caused to Indian forward ammunition depots at Chandigarh and Beas, while accusing Pakistan of attacking medical facilities in Srinagar, Avantipura and Udhampur.
Colonel Qureshi also said that India inflicted heavy damage on the Pakistan Army, air bases of Skardu, Sargodha, Jacobabad, and Bholari were also damaged and Pakistani airspace was rendered untenable with precision strikes on air defence weapon systems and radar.Earlier, besides blunting Pakistan’s drone attacks overnight, India carried out precision attacks on six Pakistan Air Force bases in Rafiqui, Sukkur, Murid, Chunia, Chaklala and Rahim Yar Khan, said an official.