India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has defended Wednesday’s missile strikes on Pakistani territory, calling them a “carefully planned” military operation that asserted New Delhi’s right to respond to terrorism.
Nine Alleged Terror Camps Targeted in Retaliation
The Indian military stated that its precision strikes destroyed nine terrorist camps linked to those responsible for last month’s deadly Kashmir attack, where 26 people were killed in Indian-administered Kashmir.
“The targets we had chosen were destroyed with great precision and sensitivity, ensuring that no civilian population or area was affected,” Singh told reporters in New Delhi.
“We only targeted terror camps, exercising our right to respond to the attack on our soil.”
Pakistan Denounces Attack, Reports Civilian Casualties
The Pakistani government reported that at least 21 civilians were killed in the missile strikes, with five additional deaths resulting from cross-border gunfire that followed. Among the casualties were four children, including two three-year-old girls, according to Islamabad officials.
Islamabad Rejects Terror Link, Promises Retaliation
Pakistan has denied any involvement in the April 22 Kashmir attack, which India attributes to the Lashkar-e-Taiba, a group designated as a terrorist organization by the United Nations.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif accused Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using the strikes to boost his domestic image ahead of elections.
“The retaliation has already started,” Asif told AFP. “We won’t take long to settle the score.”
India Frames Strikes as Calibrated and Professional
India had widely been expected to retaliate following the April attack. Singh emphasized that the operation strictly targeted “terror infrastructure”, portraying it as a measured and professional military response.
“We can say that it was a display of precision, alertness and humanity,” Singh added.
Protests in Pakistan
In response to the strikes, supporters of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) took to the streets in Karachi, waving Pakistani flags and holding placards in protest against India’s military action.