By R Anil Kumar
Operation Sindoor. In the wake of Operation Sindoor, a targeted strike mission to destroy terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) provided a detailed briefing to both permanent and non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
The briefings also included the Chinese Ambassador to India, Xu Feihong.
In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, the Indian Armed Forces launched a strike at the terror hideouts deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir under ‘Operation Sindoor’ on Wednesday, 7 May, morning.
Wing Commander Vyomika Singh informed that a total of nine terror sites were targeted and successfully destroyed. She asserted that the locations were selected so that there was no damage to civilians and their infrastructure.
“Operation Sindoor was launched by the Indian Armed Forces to deliver justice to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and their families. Nine terrorist camps were targeted and successfully destroyed. The locations were so selected to avoid damage to civilian infrastructures and loss of any civilian lives,” Wing Commander Vyomika Singh said.
Meanwhile, during the press briefing, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi presented the videos of the destruction of terror camps, including from the Muridke and where David Headley and Ajmal Kasab, perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, received training.
Other than Muridke, Sarjal camp in Sialkot, Markaz Ahle Hadith, Barnala and Markaz Abbas, Kotli and Mehmoona Joya camp, Sialkot, were targeted in the strikes conducted by the Indian Army, Col Qureshi informed.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that the attack on Pahalgam was driven by an objective of undermining the return of normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir.
“The attack in Pahalgam was marked with extreme barbarity, with the victims mostly killed with head shots at close range and in front of their family…the family members were deliberately traumatised through the manner of killing, accompanied by the exhortation that they should take back the message. The attack was clearly driven by the objective of undermining normalcy returning to Kashmir,” he said
Earlier,UN Security Council had strongly condemned the Pahalgam terror attack; and had urged global cooperation to bring perpetrators to justice
The United Nations Security Council had “condemned in the strongest terms” the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam and called on all nations to actively cooperate in bringing those responsible to justice.
In a press statement issued on last Friday 2 May, Council President Jerome Bonnafont, France’s Permanent Representative to the UN, said: “The members of the Security Council stressed that those responsible for these killings should be held accountable, and urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with all relevant authorities in this regard.”
A front organisation linked to the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba had claimed responsibility for the attack.
The statement took a comprehensive stance by including not just the perpetrators, but also the organisers, financiers, and sponsors behind the massacre.
“The members of the Security Council underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organisers, financiers, and sponsors of this reprehensible act of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice,” it added.
Notably, Pakistan, currently serving as an elected member of the Council, endorsed the statement, thereby aligning—at least officially—with the Council’s demand for justice.
Though not legally binding like a resolution, a Security Council press statement reflects the collective will of its members and carries significant moral weight.
Addressing attempts by some quarters in Pakistan to justify such attacks, the Council unequivocally rejected any rationale for terrorism.
“The members of the Security Council reiterated that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever, and by whomsoever committed,” the statement declared.
Reaffirming the global commitment to counter-terrorism, the Council emphasized that all nations must confront the threat in accordance with international legal frameworks.
“The members of the Security Council reaffirmed the need for all States to combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and other obligations under international law, including international human rights law, international refugee law, and international humanitarian law, threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.”
