Over 80 terrorists were killed under Operation Sindoor, sources told India Today TV. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri briefed envoys of 13 countries on the operation.
Chinese state media Global Times earlier today reported that three Indian fighter jets was shot down by Pakistan. Hours later, India countered the reporting, and called it dis-information.
India says the operation was not an attack, but a response to Pahalgam terror attack
Pakistan claimed 26 civilians were killed, India said only terror camps targeted
Four key points were laid emphasis by the Foreign Secretary:
Talking about an escalation threat from Pakistan in response to the strikes, Misri asserted that if Pakistan responds, India also will.
When asked about India's multiple strikes, Foreign Secy said it was "not an escalation, but a response" to the deadly Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 Hindu tourists.
The UK asked if any mosques were targeted in Pakistan and PoK as part of the strikes.
In response, Misri said a complex was targeted which also had a terror camp.
Over 80 terrorists linked to banned outfits Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Hizbul Mujahideen were killed in the precision strikes carried out by India, sources told India Today TV.
Misri also earlier addressed a government briefing asserting that the action was based on "credible intel" and aimed to "break the backbone of terrorism."
The precision attacks, jointly executed by the Army, Navy and Air Force, targeted nine terror camps across Pakistan and PoK, in a span of just 25 minutes - from 1.05 am to 1.30 am.
While Pakistan has claimed that civilians were killed in India's strikes, the government maintains that no civilians or military infrastructure was hit.
"The locations were carefully selected to avoid any civilian casualties or damage to non-military infrastructure," Misri said during the briefing.
Two women officers Wing Commander Singh and Colonel Sofiya Qureshi led the media briefing alongside the Foreign Secretary.
"The one country that has robustly spoken in support of India, unsurprisingly, is Israel," says Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who also served in the UN.
In an opinion piece for NDTV.com. Tharoor wrote:
"China expressed “regret” over India's military action and concern about the current developments, calling on both India and Pakistan to prioritise peace and stability....,
....China emphasised that India and Pakistan are neighbours who cannot be separated and are also China's neighbours.
This was a more balanced statement than many might have expected, given Beijing's “all-weather” friendship with Pakistan, which is practically a vassal state of China, says Congress lawmaker.
He also wrote:
"Russia expressed deep concern about the deepening military confrontation between India and Pakistan. Moscow called on both countries to show restraint and condemned all forms of terrorism – a welcome reminder of what provoked India's action in the first place.
France 'Understands'
France, similarly, called on both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint to avoid escalation and to protect civilians, but added that it “understands India's desire to protect itself against terrorism”. Paris emphasised the need to prevent a lasting confrontation, stating that no one has an interest in such an outcome.
The French Foreign Minister indicated he would be speaking with his counterparts in India and Pakistan.
The United Kingdom was slower to react, but remarks made earlier by a Foreign Office minister suggest that London would call for de-escalation and dialogue, aligning with the stance of other major powers. Given its own substantial sub-continental population, the UK is also likely to engage behind the scenes to encourage restraint.
Concerns For South Asia
In the Arab world, Egypt urged both sides to exercise the highest levels of restraint, emphasising the importance of pursuing dialogue through diplomatic channels to defuse the crisis and avoid further escalation.
The UAE also called on both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and de-escalate tensions, stressing the importance of diplomatic dialogue and mutual understanding to prevent military escalation and strengthen stability in South Asia.
The one country that has robustly spoken in support of India, unsurprisingly, is Israel, which also reacted militarily to a terrorist attack on October 7, 2023. Israel has made it clear that it views India's actions as a legitimate response to terrorism and an exercise of its right to self-defence. Israel's Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, stated publicly on X (formerly Twitter): "Israel supports India's right for self-defence. Terrorists should know there's no place to hide from their heinous crimes against the innocent.”
What's Brewing At UN?
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres also expressed deep concern about the Indian military operations across the Line of Control and the international border.
His spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, says the Secretary-General is "very concerned about the Indian military operations across the Line of Control and international border" and adds: "He calls for maximum military restraint from both countries. The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan."
The UN Security Council, in its closed-door consultations, had also urged restraint and dialogue. Though Pakistan is a non-permanent member of the 15-state body, and India is not present at such consultations, informal reports indicate that things did not go very well for our neighbours in those discussions. Some countries, like France, strongly acknowledged India's concerns regarding terrorism."
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