With terrorists admitting heavy losses, Operation Sindhoor cements itself as a resounding Success in India’s War on Terror
What Op Sindoor did
In response to the April 22 Pahalgam massacre, India executed Operation Sindoor on May 7, striking multiple terror facilities in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). NDTV’s reporting—based on official briefings and satellite imagery—details the core picture:
- Scope & tempo: “25 minutes, 24 missile strikes” against nine terror camps/training facilities, killing roughly 70 terrorists, according to the Indian side. www.ndtv.com
- Targets: Strikes included Muridke (Lashkar-e-Taiba HQ) near Lahore and sites in Bahawalpur (a JeM stronghold). NDTV’s before/after satellite analyses show visible damage at key complexes and launchpads. www.ndtv.com, www.ndtv.com
- Depth of target set: A later Pakistani dossier (reported by NDTV) suggested additional sites were hit beyond India’s initial on-record list—underscoring reach and planning depth. www.ndtv.com
Follow-on reporting indicates attempts inside Pakistan to rebuild parts of this infrastructure consistent by redirecting IMF aid money. www.ndtv.com
JeM’s own admission: losses at the very top
Open-source videos and reporting point to rare, public acknowledgements from Jaish-e-Mohammed figures that Op Sindoor inflicted severe costs:
- A senior JeM commander stated that members of Masood Azhar’s family were killed, with references to Bahawalpur and JeM hubs hit in the strikes. (Times of India summarised the admission; similar OSINT clips circulated widely.) The Times of India
Taken together, these sources reinforce that Op Sindoor achieved high-value effects against both infrastructure and leadership circles of LeT/JeM.
Historical context: Pakistan’s use of proxies
There is a documented public record—especially from the 1990s–2000s—of Pakistani elites acknowledging or defending the use of jihadist proxies:
- Pervez Musharraf (former President/Army Chief) admitted on multiple occasions that Pakistan trained and backed militants for Kashmir in the 1990s; he even called some figures “heroes” of that era. www.ndtv.com, www.ndtv.com
- Lt Gen (Retd.) Hamid Gul (ex-ISI chief) openly styled himself an “ideologue of jihad,” endorsing Taliban “resistance.” Al Jazeera, The Guardian
- Analytic work (USIP; SIPRI) characterises Pakistan’s periodic instrumentalisation of militant groups as statecraft—especially vis-à-vis Afghanistan and India. United States Institute of Peace, United States Institute of Peace
This history explains why punitive, precise counter-terror operations and sustained diplomatic pressure are central to raising the cost of proxy warfare.
What hit (consolidated from open sources)
- LeT—Muridke HQ (Punjab)
- JeM—Bahawalpur/Markaz nodes and training infrastructure
- Multiple PoK launchpads/training camps (e.g., Kotli sector)
- Air-defence radars/airfields supporting these complexes (per imagery-based analysis)
Estimated militant fatalities across the night’s strikes: ~70 (Indian briefings); some OSINT estimates are over 100. - Pakistan Military Casualties: Official Pakistani statement accepted loss of 11 personnel and 40 civilians. A major Pakistani news outlet, Samaa TV, released a list of 137 Pakistani Army soldiers and officers who were given posthumous gallantry awards for service during Op SIndhoor. The channel took the list down within hours, but by then, information had spread. Since these 137 fatalities were exclusively Pakistan army personnel from Punjab province, and considering the large-scale air strikes India conducted on Pakistan Air Force infrastructure, including Hangars and Command Centres, it can be concluded that Pakistan’s total military casualties would easily exceed 200.
By Comparison, India lost 13 civilians and 5 soldiers. No independent information on Pakistani civilian losses exists. In any military operation, losing just 5 personnel while inflicting a loss of over 300, is as perfect a ratio as can be achieved, and it makes Op Sindhoor a resounding Success.
As one senior defence analyst quoted in the NDTV piece remarked, “This wasn’t just retaliation; it was a message—terrorists and their masterminds have no place to hide.” The strikes not only destroyed training modules and weapon caches but also disrupted recruitment networks, severely hampering LeT and JeM’s ability to mount future attacks. Pakistan’s frantic denials and internal admissions of losses underscored the operation’s devastating effect, forcing a temporary halt in infiltration attempts along the Line of Control (LoC). This decisive action exemplifies the Modi government’s zero-tolerance policy toward terrorism, a strategic shift that has transformed India’s security landscape since 2014. Under the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government (2004-2014), India grappled with a surge in terror activities, with over 9,300 terrorist incidents recorded in Jammu & Kashmir alone—averaging more than 930 per year—resulting in 1,769 civilian deaths and 1,060 security personnel fatalities. Nationwide, the period saw rampant attacks, including the 26/11 Mumbai carnage (166 killed) and multiple Delhi blasts, with the Ministry of Home Affairs documenting 15 major terrorist incidents in the hinterland (non-border areas) from 2009-2013 alone. The UPA’s approach, often criticised for diplomatic restraint and delayed responses, allowed terror groups to regroup, leading to a vicious cycle of violence. In stark contrast, since the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) assumed power in 2014, terrorist incidents have decreased by nearly 70%, reflecting the efficacy of proactive measures such as surgical strikes (Uri 2016, Balakot 2019) and now Operation Sindhoor. In Jammu & Kashmir, terror-related incidents dropped from 7,217 (2004-2014) to just 2,263 (2014-July 2024), a 69% decline, with civilian casualties falling 80% (from 1,769 to 353) and security force deaths down 44% (from 1,060 to 591). Across India, major hinterland attacks have reduced to only six since 2014 (three in 2014, one each in 2015, 2016, and 2018), compared to the UPA’s 15 in a mere five years. Overall, terrorist strikes nationwide fell from an estimated 5,249 (2004-2014) to around 2,500 (2014-2024), a 52% reduction, with “major” incidents per SATP dropping to 388 from 2014-2018 alone versus thousands earlier. This isn’t a coincidence—it’s the result of enhanced intelligence, border fencing, and operations that preempt threats, as evidenced by zero major urban attacks post-2014 until sporadic border skirmishes were neutralised. The Modi doctrine—strike hard, strike first—has saved countless lives and restored deterrence. As Union Home Minister Amit Shah noted in a recent address, “The zero-tolerance approach has made India terror-free in its hinterland, with infiltration down 80% and stone-pelting incidents nil since 2019.” Operation Sindhoor reinforces this: by targeting terror nurseries at their source, India has not only avenged the April 22 outrage but signalled that any assault on its sovereignty will invite overwhelming retribution. For a nation scarred by decades of proxy wars, this calibrated force is not aggression—it’s the only path to lasting peace. The numbers speak volumes: fewer attacks, fewer graves, and a stronger India.