Operation Sindoor: From the first missile to ceasefire call: How Operation Sindoor unfolded, one strike at a time | India News

“The Indian Armed Forces launched a while ago Operation SindoorAttacking terrorist infrastructure Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement issued at 1.44 am on May 7, 2025.“In total, nine (9) sites were targeted,” the statement added, clarifying that no Pakistani military installations were hit and that the operation was “focused, measured and non-escalation in nature.”Today India marks one year of ‘Operation Sindoor’ and is still seen as a defining moment in the country’s anti-terrorist doctrine, a swift military response launched after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. Conducted in a quick 25-minute window between 1.05 am and 1.30 am on May 7, the operation targeted terrorist infrastructure linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizbul Mujahideen.April 22: Pahalgam attack shocks the nationThe chain of events started on April 22, 2025 in Baisaran Valley, Pahalgam. What is commonly known as a scenic tourist meadow became the site of Kashmir’s deadliest terror attack since Pulwama in 2019.Terrorists from the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba proxy The Resistance Front (TRF), entered a civilian area, segregated the victims on the basis of religion and killed 26 people, including a Nepalese national. The attack sparked outrage across India and drew condemnation from world leaders.April 23-24: India downgrades ties with PakistanExternal Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, External Affairs Secretary Vikram Mishri and MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal briefed the media on the arrangements in New Delhi.India cut diplomatic ties with Pakistan, suspended the Indus Water Treaty, sealed the Attari-Wagha border, declared personality non-grata of Pakistani diplomats and suspended visas for Pakistani citizens. India has also conducted naval missile tests and large-scale exercises by the Indian Air Force.A day later, during a rally in Bihar’s Madhubani, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised action, saying, “India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their supporters.” Pakistan retaliated diplomatically by suspending visas for Indians, closing its airspace to Indian-operated aircraft, halting trade and suspending the Shimla Agreement.April 27-30: War clouds gatherAddressing the nation during Maan Ki Baat on 27 April, Modi said, “As I speak to you today on Maan Ki Baat, I have a deep pain in my heart. The terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April has pained every citizen of the country.” On 30 April, Pakistan claimed that India was preparing for a military operation. Pakistan’s Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said Islamabad has “credible intelligence” that India intends to launch a military operation within 24-36 hours.

7 May: Operation Sindur beginsIn the early hours of May 7, India launched Operation Sindoor from Indian soil, targeting nine terrorist camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The tri-service operation, conducted from Indian soil, targeted nine terrorist camps linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JM) and Hizbul Mujahideen in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Wing Commander Byomika Singh and Lt Col Sophia Qureshi later briefed the media, reiterating that the strikes were “focused and non-escalating”.“Nine terrorist camps were targeted and destroyed in direct retaliation to the Pahalgam attack,” Wing Commander Byomika Singh said. “Operation Sindoor targets were selected based on reliable intelligence and location to avoid damage to civilian infrastructure and loss of civilian lives.”The operation was performed in a quick 25 minutes between 1.05 am and 1.30 am.Lt. Col. Sophia Qureshi later detailed the nine terror sites that were hit:

Mock drills were also conducted across several Indian cities, including Delhi, Chandigarh and Varanasi, to prepare civilians for any escalation.In the days that followed, India intercepted Pakistani drones at 36 locations from Jammu and Kashmir to Gujarat. Prime Minister Narendra Modi later described the operation as the “new normal” and said India would continue to respond to terrorism “in a language they understand”.May 7-8: Pakistan’s drone attack and India’s responsePakistan responded with drone strikes and heavy shelling along the Line of Control (LoC), sharply escalating tensions between the two countries.On the night of 7 and 8 May, Pakistan attempted multiple airspace violations along India’s western border and fired around 300-400 drones at 36 locations targeting military infrastructure. Indian forces intercept and neutralize many drones using both kinetic and non-kinetic methods.Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said India’s response remained “specific” and “non-escalating”, stressing that only terrorist infrastructure was targeted. He also condemned the attack by Pakistan, which killed 16 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir.Lt Col Sophia Qureshi detailed the extent of the Pakistani attack at a media briefing. He said, “On the night of May 7 and 8, the Pakistani Army violated Indian airspace several times along the entire western border to target military infrastructure. Not only this, the Pakistani Army also fired heavy caliber weapons along the Line of Control.”“Around 300 to 400 drones were used to attempt infiltration at 36 locations. The Indian Armed Forces shot down many of these drones using kinetic and non-kinetic means,” he added.Qureshi said the large-scale airspace incursion was aimed at testing India’s air defense network and gathering intelligence.“The probable purpose of such large-scale aerial infiltration was to test air defense systems and gather intelligence. A forensic investigation of the drone wreckage is underway. Initial reports said they were Turkish Assisiguard Songer drones,” he said.May 9: India escalates retaliationIndia launched a major retaliatory strike on May 9 targeting Indian military bases in Pakistan. An IAF drone strike destroyed a Chinese-origin HQ-9 surface-to-air missile and radar system in Lahore. Areas near Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Attock, Bahawalpur, Miano and Karachi have been targeted.Earlier in the day, Pakistan attempted to attack Indian Air Force bases in Awantipura, Srinagar and Uttarlai along with army installations in Jammu, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Bathinda and Chandigarh. India’s multi-layered air defense network led by the S-400 ‘Triumf’ missile system deters attacks.Lt Col Qureshi said Pakistan “used drones, long-range weapons, loitering munitions and warplanes to attack Indian military installations.” “Pakistan attempted aerial infiltration at more than 26 places and they damaged our equipment and personnel at air force bases in Udhampur, Bhuj, Pathankot and Bathinda,” he said.“They used high-velocity missiles at 1:40 a.m. to target air bases in Punjab. They even attacked health facilities and schools,” he added. He also said that Pakistan has targeted army hospitals in Srinagar, Avantipur and Udhampur.Meanwhile, the Border Security Force (BSF) said Pakistan had resorted to “unprovoked firing” at BSF posts in the Jammu sector. “The terrorist launch pad opposite Akhnoor area of ​​Luni, district Sialkot has been completely destroyed by BSF. Our resolve to protect India’s sovereignty remains unwavering,” BSF said.May 10: Ceasefire declared, following violationsIndia has confirmed that an agreement has been reached between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both countries to cease all military activities across land, air and sea.Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said Pakistan’s DGMO contacted its Indian counterpart at 3.35 pm on May 10, after which both sides agreed to cease all firing and military operations from 5 pm Indian time.But after a few hours, explosions were heard again in Srinagar and surrounding areas. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah reacted strongly on social media, posting: “What just happened to the ceasefire? Explosions heard across Srinagar!!! This is not a ceasefire. Air defense units have just opened in the middle of Srinagar.”A total blackout was imposed in Rajasthan’s Barmer and Jaisalmer; Ferozepur, Pathankot, Moga, Fazilka and Patiala in Punjab; Ambala in Haryana; and Jammu, Kathua, Nagrota, Rajouri and Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir.Normalcy has returned to India-Pakistan border states. During the three-day conflict, the armed forces inflicted significant damage on Pakistani military assets during the three-day conflict. DGMO Lt Gen Rajeev Ghai said that 35-40 Pakistani soldiers were killed. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh later said that more than 100 terrorists were killed during Operation Sindoor.May 12-13: PM Modi addresses the nationOn 12 May, Prime Minister Modi addressed the nation for the first time since the start of the operation, dedicating Operation Sindur to “every mother of our country, every sister of our country”. A day later, Pakistan confirmed that 11 of its military personnel had been killed and 78 injured in an Indian attack.A year later: A new doctrineMonths after the operation, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi described the military phase of Operation Sindur as an “88-hour” operation and warned Pakistan against repeating “something that barbaric again”.A year later, the Indus Waters Agreement remains stalled, reflecting India’s firm stance that “terrorism and negotiations cannot go together”.In his Independence Day speech in 2025, Prime Minister Modi said, “India has now decided, blood and water will not flow together.” The suspension of the agreement marks one of the biggest strategic shifts in India-Pakistan relations in decades. The treaty, signed in 1960, regulates the distribution of water in the Indus river system, including the Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej rivers.As India marks a year since Operation Sindoor, the operation is increasingly seen as a turning point in New Delhi’s approach to cross-border terrorism, one that the government has repeatedly described as a “new normal” in India’s security doctrine.