At least 15 Indians have lost their lives with 43 injured in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch and Tangdhar regions as Pakistan lauched arbitrary firing and heavy shelling along the Line of Control and the International Border late on Tuesday night, the Army said.
The response came soon after India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir at 1.05 am, raining down a series of precision strikes for 25 minutes and targeting nine terror camps linked to three terror outfits – Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen.
Defence sources told India Today TV that the Army responded swiftly to the cross-border firing, causing significant damage to multiple Pakistan Army posts in the Kupwara and Rajouri-Poonch sectors, with reports of heavy military casualties.
SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal took to X to say that among the 10 killed were three Gursikhs after Pakistani forces attacked the central Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Sahib in Poonch district. Bhai Amrik Singh Ji (a raagi Singh), Bhai Amarjeet Singh, and Bhai Ranjit Singh were among the three killed.
“The Shiromani Akali Dal expresses complete solidarity with the families of the deceased Gursikhs and prays for peace for the departed and courage for their friends and loved ones. We demand that the martyrs be honoured for their sacrifice and that the bereaved families receive adequate compensation to support them in their time of grief. The Sikhs have always been, and will continue to be, the sword arm of the country.
We stand like a rock with our armed forces. Although the Shiromani Akali Dal and our country stand for peace, if our honour is challenged by the enemy, we need no reminder to fulfill our patriotic duties,” he tweeted.
As the firing undergoes, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has ordered the evacuation of civilians near the LoC and the IB, sources said. He is in constant touch with Border Security Force Director General Daljit Singh Chawdhary, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over the phone. Sources added that Shah has directed officials to shift civilians to safer locations, stressing that their security is India’s utmost priority.
India termed the strikes as part of ‘Operation Sindoor’ as a “focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature” move. The calibrated response saw India target the very infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK where attacks against India have been planned and directed, the government said in a statement.
Jaish chief Masood Azhar reportedly said in a statement that 10 members of his family, including his elder sister and her husband, and four close associates were killed in the strikes.
According to sources, all strikes on the nine targets were successful and the Air Force pilots involved in the operation were safe. More than 80 terrorists linked to the three terror outfits have been killed in the strikes.
