After India conducted ‘Operation Sindoor’ and struck nine terror posts in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) in an overnight strike on Wednesday, residents of Pakistan’s Muzaffarabad said that they ran into surrounding hills after fleeing their homes, reported Reuters.
Parts of Muzaffarabad were hit by Indian forces during the early hours of Wednesday in an attack that caught Pakistan unawares.
People were told to seek shelter through mosque loudspeakers amid explosions as the strikes began, the locals told Reuters.
Track live updates of Operation Sindoor here.
"We came outside…Then another blast happened. The whole house moved. Everyone got scared, we all evacuated, took our kids and went up (the hill)," said Muhammad Shair Mir, 46, while describing what went down during India’s counterterror strikes, according to the Reuters report.
The terror hubs hit by India in Pakistan are - Bahawalpur, Muridke, Gulpur, LeT camp in Sawai, Bilal Camp, LeT Kotli camp, Barnala camp, Sarjal camp, Mehmoona Camp.
Also read: Indian strikes in Pakistan kill Jaish chief Masood Azhar’s 10 family members, 4 close aides
‘Operation Sindoor’
{{/usCountry}}Also read: Indian strikes in Pakistan kill Jaish chief Masood Azhar’s 10 family members, 4 close aides
‘Operation Sindoor’
{{/usCountry}}India’s precision strikes came as a strong response to Pakistan after the devastating terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22 that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. Tensions along the Line of Control have escalated following the strikes, with locals in India being evacuated to safer locations.
Justifying the airstrikes conducted under ‘Operation Sindoor’, India’s foreign secretary Vikram Misri said that Pakistan had failed to act against terrorism. Misri held a press briefing along with Col. Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh hours after the airstrikes.
During the press briefing, Misri said, “A group called the Resistance Front has claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack. This group is connected with Lashkar-e-Taiba. Pakistan links have been clearly established.”
He added that despite credible intelligence and mounting global concerns, Pakistan did not take any action to dismantle the terror networks operating from its soil. “Pakistan has made an identity in the world as a safe haven for terrorists,” he said.
Misri also noted that the modus operandi of the Pahalgam attack was designed to provoke communal discord in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of India.