LoC Tensions Rise as India Targets Terror Camps in Pakistan

In a calibrated military response to last week's terror assault in Pahalgam, Indian armed forces on Wednesday carried out precise strikes on multiple terror camps located inside Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. The operation, codenamed Sindoor, targeted at least nine sites believed to be active centers for cross-border militancy.

According to defence officials, strategic targets included installations in Muzaffarabad, Bahawalpur, Gulpur, Barnala, Abbas Kotli, Shawai Nalla, Muridke, Syenda Bilal Camp, Sarjal, and Mehmoona Joya. The Ministry of Defence described the strikes as “focused and proportionate,” aimed at disrupting militant networks without initiating wider conflict.

The operation follows the recent terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that resulted in the deaths of 26 people, including 25 Indians and one Nepali national. Military sources confirmed that the action was based on specific intelligence inputs pointing to the aforementioned locations as origin points for the attack.

Cross-border hostilities intensified following the airstrikes. Thirteen civilians were killed and nearly 60 injured due to Pakistani shelling in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, officials from the XP Division of the Ministry of External Affairs reported. Border villages near the Line of Control (LoC) have been evacuated amid continued ceasefire violations by Pakistani forces.

Residents of LoC-adjacent areas in Baramulla, Uri, Akhnoor, and Kupwara reported overnight firing using small arms and artillery. Indian troops responded with retaliatory fire, military officials confirmed.

In New Delhi, the central government convened an all-party meeting to inform political leadership about the developments under Operation Sindoor. Senior leaders including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP President J.P. Nadda, Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, and other MPs attended the briefing at Parliament Annexe.

Congress MP Rajiv Shukla voiced support for the operation, highlighting national consensus against terrorism. Imran Masood, another Congress leader, stated that counterterror actions must continue until terror infrastructure is dismantled.

States sharing borders with Pakistan, including Punjab, Rajasthan, and Jammu and Kashmir, remain on heightened alert. Schools and airports in sensitive districts have been temporarily closed. The Punjab Police has suspended all leaves for personnel. Special blackout drills were conducted in cities such as Amritsar and Ayodhya following directives from the Ministry of Home Affairs.

In a precautionary move, Indian Railways issued an advisory warning its personnel against sharing movement details of military convoys, citing the potential threat of intelligence breaches.

Amid escalating tensions, several countries issued advisories. Singapore and Ukraine urged their citizens to avoid non-essential travel to conflict-prone areas and called for peaceful dialogue. Belarus expressed concern and appealed for immediate de-escalation between India and Pakistan.

The United States, through a statement by President Donald Trump, offered to mediate, urging both nations to resolve differences diplomatically. “If I can be of help, I’ll be there,” said Trump.

Satellite imagery confirmed the destruction of several facilities in Bahawalpur. Following the strikes, Pakistan declared a state of emergency in Karachi and suspended commercial air traffic at airports in Lahore and Islamabad. There were reports of explosions near the Walton Road military zone in Lahore.

The Pakistan Army began evacuating civilians from border villages in Bahawalnagar, close to Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar sector. Military patrols have intensified across the region amid ongoing tension.

In Mumbai, devotees gathered at Siddhivinayak Temple to conduct special rituals praying for national security and the success of Operation Sindoor.