New Delhi : During Operation Sindoor, the Indian Army has defeated Pakistan with its valour and bravery. Operation Sindoor is still going on against the hideouts of terrorists in Pakistan. After starting Operation Sindoor, the Indian Army held a press conference on Sunday evening and shared the facts in detail about the war-like situation that arose between the two countries in the last five days. In this very important press conference, Army DGMO Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, Navy DGMO Vice Admiral AN Pramod and Air Force DGMO Air Marshal AK Bharti gave all the information to the journalists.
He said that you are already aware that my communication with Pakistan DGMO took place on 10 May at 15:35 hrs which resulted in cessation of cross border firing and air intrusions between the two sides from 17:00 hrs, 10 May, when they proposed a ceasefire to us. We have decided to communicate again on 12 May at 12:00 hrs to discuss modalities for sustaining this understanding in the long term. He said that the COAS has conducted a security review earlier today and has given full powers to our Army commanders to retaliate in the kinetic zone in case of any violation by Pakistan.
DGMO Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai said in his statement that during Operation Sindoor, we selectively killed the terrorists and foiled the terrorist attacks of Pakistan. We were successful in achieving the maximum target of destroying the hideouts of terrorist organizations. He said that the radar system present in Lahore was also blown up. On the question of the journalists, he said that he cannot say anything about the method of operation but it would be correct to say that the Indian Army, along with destroying the terrorist hideout of Pakistan, gave a befitting reply to the violation of air space and attack by drones and other weapons by the Pakistani army. Due to this, India also targeted the military hideouts and air bases of Pakistan after their provocation and succeeded in causing heavy damage.
Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai told during the press conference that Operation Sindoor was launched to destroy the conspirators of terrorism and the hideouts of terrorists. He told that during this time more than 100 terrorists were selectively killed. He also told that we foiled all the attacks of Pakistan.
He said that Operation Sindoor was designed with a clear military objective, aimed at punishing the perpetrators and planners of terror and destroying their terror infrastructure. I will not repeat here what is often said – India’s intolerance to terrorism and our unwavering commitment.
Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai said that the operation began with a meticulous and careful analysis of the cross-border terrorism scenario. Terrorist camps and training sites were identified. Many such locations came up, but as the deliberations progressed, we realised that some of these terror centres were now vacant, perhaps abandoned in advance for fear of our possible action. We had a clear task directive and also imposed a strict restriction on ourselves that we would target only terrorists and prevent any harm to the civilian population.
Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai said on the night of 8 and 9 May, starting from about 22:30, a massive attack by drones and unmanned aerial vehicles was launched on our cities, starting from Srinagar and going up to Nalia. It was an attack that continued unabated. We were vigilant, and our air defence preparedness ensured that no damage was caused to any of the intended targets on ground or planned by the enemy. We retaliated in a balanced and controlled manner, once again hitting military installations and surveillance radar sites located near Lahore and Gujranwala.
DGAO Air Marshal AK Bharti of the IAF shows terror camps in Muridke and Bhawalpur in Pakistan, which were destroyed during Operation Sindoor. He said that there were nine camps, which you are all familiar with, which were confirmed by our various intelligence agencies. Some of these were in PoJK, while some others were located in Pakistan’s Punjab province. Maligned places like Muridke, which is a hub of Lashkar-e-Taiba, have produced notorious men like Ajmal Kasab and David Headley over the years.
He said that we decided to strike where it hurts the most. Towards this end, in a swift, coordinated, balanced attack we destroyed air bases, command centres, military infrastructure, air defence systems across the entire Western Front. The targets we struck included Chaklala, Rafiqui, Rahim Yar Khan and Sukkur, sending a clear message that any kind of aggressive behaviour will not be tolerated. This was followed by attacks on Sargodha, Bholari and Jacobabad.
Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai said that our forces remained forward deployed in decisive and deterrent positions in the North Arabian Sea, with full readiness and capability, fully prepared to strike at any opportune moment on selected targets at sea and on land, including Karachi.
Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai said that you must have seen the pain of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. Operation Sindoor was a military operation, whose aim was to destroy the terrorist structure. We initially targeted 9 camps. He also said that we took complete surprise.
He said that on the first night when Pakistan sent drones one after the other, India’s air defense intercepted all of them and also retaliated, which also included destroying a radar in Lahore, Pakistan.
Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai said that many steps were taken to stop Pakistani attacks on the ground as well. Lieutenant General Ghai said that 35-40 Pakistani soldiers and officers were killed in the firing of the Indian Army on the Line of Control. He also exposed Pakistan’s nefarious activities and said that Pakistan attacked civilian areas on the LoC. Pakistan also tried unsuccessfully to infiltrate the border by firing, but the Indian Army took effective action to stop it, due to which Pakistan had to suffer.
Air Marshal AK Bharti said that we carefully set targets and used air to surface missiles. He said that our goal was to destroy the terrorist infrastructure and terrorists. We achieved this on May 7 itself. After that Pakistan attacked with drones and UAVs. We hit the terrorists, they were targeting civilians.
He said that on the night of 8 and 9 May, attacks were carried out from Srinagar to Nalia in Gujarat, which we foiled. He also said that we only targeted their military infrastructure. He said that when the drone attack was carried out from Lahore, Pakistan allowed the passenger plane to fly.
Indian military officials told with evidence that many airbases of Pakistan have been destroyed. He said that Sargodha, Rahimyar Khan, Chaklala, Sakkar, Bholari and Jakkokabad air fields were destroyed.
Military officials said that we have shot down some fighter planes of Pakistan, although I cannot tell the number. He also said that no plane of Pakistan has been able to enter the Indian border. At the same time, he said that if needed, more terrorist camps will be destroyed. He further said that I do not need to tell where these terrorists get support from.
Navy DGMO Vice Admiral AN Pramod said that the advance deployment of the Indian Navy forced the Pakistani naval and air units to remain in a defensive posture, mostly inside ports or very close to the coast, which we constantly monitored. The Indian Navy maintained uninterrupted maritime domain awareness throughout and was fully aware of the location and movement of Pakistani units.
