Editorial: India’s calibrated operation

It is time the international community acknowledged the dangers of state-sponsored terrorism and joined the fight against this menace

‘Operation Sindoor’, the swift and precise missile strikes targeting nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), must serve as a fitting lesson to the rogue neighbour nurturing terrorist elements on its soil. For decades, Islamabad has refused to dismantle terror factories despite global pressure nor did it take credible action against the UN-designated terrorists roaming free in the country. These sites, long used to train terrorists and plan attacks on India, have now taken a big hit with the Indian armed forces targeting them in a sharply focused and comprehensive operation that lasted just 25 minutes. Key among them are the training sites at Bahawalpur and Muridke in Punjab, Muzaffarabad and Kotli in PoK, the strongholds of the terror outfits Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba which are responsible for many heinous terror attacks in India. By confining the operation to target the roots of cross-border terror planning and scrupulously avoiding military and civilian casualties, India has shown extraordinary restraint. The counter-terror operation was measured, proportionate and non-escalatory and was solely intended to dismantle terror infrastructure. Nearly two weeks after the horrific targeted killing of tourists in Pahalgam, India has exercised its right to respond to deter such cross-border terror attacks in future. While condemning the Pahalgam attack, the United Nations Security Council underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of this reprehensible act of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice. India’s military strikes must be seen in this context.

At this stage, any misadventure by Pakistan will lead to escalation of the conflict, with serious consequences. It is time the international community acknowledged the dangers of state-sponsored terrorism and joined the fight against this menace. It must demand accountability from Pakistan and impose sanctions if Islamabad fails to take credible measures to check the activities of terror outfits operating on its soil. Having built a strong international framework to combat terror, the international community cannot step back on combating terror, especially state-sponsored terrorism. India has been a victim of terrorism for decades but received little support from Western countries. It was only after the 9/11 attacks that the world woke up to the dangers of terrorism. India has been virtually waging a lone battle against cross-border terrorism. ‘Operation Sindoor’ has sent a strong message that India is determined to hunt down terrorists and their planners to avenge their dastardly acts of violence. It must be pointed out that more than 350 civilians have succumbed to cross-border terrorism in the past decade. The country has witnessed several major terror strikes including the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2002 attack on Gujarat’s Akshardham Temple, the 2008 Mumbai attacks and the attacks in Uri and Pulwama. The Pahalgam attack was part of Pakistan’s long-standing playbook that aims to bleed India by a thousand cuts, using proxy jihad.