India Warns Pakistan: “Do Not Escalate” After Precision Strikes on Terror Camps
India has issued a clear message to Pakistan—“Do not escalate”—after launching calibrated strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and PoK in response to the Pahalgam terror attack.
India’s armed forces conducted a series of precision strikes across Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir early Wednesday, targeting terror infrastructure linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. While Pakistan termed the action an “act of war”, India clarified it was a measured, non-provocative operation aimed solely at terror elements.
“No Pakistani military facilities were hit, reflecting India’s calibrated and non-escalatory approach,” said the Ministry of Defence, adding that Operation Sindoor was a “restrained response” to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called India’s action “reckless” and warned of a “befitting reply.” “Pakistan has every right to respond to this war imposed by India,” he said in a post on X.
However, India has underscored that its retaliation targeted only terror bases, not civilian or military assets. A statement from the Indian Embassy in Washington DC reaffirmed, “No Pakistani civilian, economic or military targets have been hit. Only known terror camps were targeted.”
India has moved swiftly to communicate its intent internationally, stressing that the strikes were defensive and targeted. Indian diplomats are actively countering Pakistani claims of civilian casualties, asserting that intelligence-guided operations ensured only terror sites were hit.
New Delhi’s response has drawn comparisons to the 2016 Uri surgical strikes and the 2019 Balakot airstrikes, both conducted following deadly attacks on Indian soil.
In preparation for any fallout, India has ramped up joint military readiness. Air force and naval drills have intensified, and a pan-India civil defence drill—the first since 1971—is slated to begin shortly.
While India remains ready for any potential escalation, its core message is firm: Operation Sindoor was a direct, proportionate response to terrorism—not an act of war. India has urged Pakistan to avoid provocation, reinforcing its position that terrorism must be confronted, not appeased.
“We will pursue the perpetrators to the ends of the Earth,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, reiterating India’s zero-tolerance stance on terrorism.
