Operation Sindoor: Indian strikes kill at least 100 terrorists, says Rajnath

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addressed an all-party meeting on Thursday, revealing that at least 100 terrorists were killed in Indian strikes on terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir under 'Operation Sindoor', according to sources.

During the meeting, the defence minister emphasised that the operation is ongoing and assured leaders that India will retaliate if Pakistan responds to the targeted strikes.

Operation Sindoor also marked a major counter-terrorism success with the elimination of Abdul Rauf Azhar, the operational head of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and the mastermind behind the 1999 IC-814 hijacking.

The Indian armed forces conducted precision strikes in Bahawalpur and Muridke, key locations in Pakistan’s Punjab province, which housed the headquarters of JeM and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). These two groups have been responsible for numerous terror attacks on Indian soil, including the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2016 Pathankot airbase attack, and the 2019 Pulwama bombing.

Azhar, the brother of UN-designated terrorist Masood Azhar, played a pivotal role in JeM’s operations, orchestrating attacks and overseeing terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The Indian strikes in Bahawalpur reportedly killed 10 family members of Masood Azhar, including his sister and brother-in-law, a fact confirmed by a statement from JeM.

Following the meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju informed reporters that the gathering aimed to build a broad political consensus on the issue. He noted that leaders demonstrated maturity and refrained from political disputes.

The leaders also expressed concerns over national security and the safety of all Indians, particularly those in border areas. However, they extended full support, affirming that the nation stands united in the fight against terrorism.

"The entire nation is united with the government and the armed forces," Rijiju said.

He also said that the defence minister told the meeting that "we don't do politics just for forming governments but also to build the nation".

"The Raksha Mantri told the meeting that it was an ongoing operation, and that is why he cannot share the technical details of Operation Sindoor that was launched by Indian armed forces," he said.

This, he said, is also the reason why no armed forces officials were present at the all-party meeting, as they were busy with the operations.

He said all leaders spoke in one voice and showed maturity and extended all cooperation to the government and armed forces.

"Political leaders also congratulated the armed forces for the action taken under Operation Sindoor," he said.

Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, "In the moment of crisis, we are with the government."

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said he complimented the armed forces and the Government of India for conducting Operation Sindoor.

"I also said that we should run an international campaign against TRF, and the UN Security Council should designate it as a terror organisation. We also need to ask the United States to designate TRF as a foreign terrorist organisation in the country," he said.

Leaders from several political parties, including both Leaders of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, attended the all-party meeting, which was also joined by Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and BJP president and Health Minister J. P. Nadda.

In response to the Pahalgam terror attack, the Indian armed forces launched missile strikes early Wednesday, targeting nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The strikes included the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold in Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba’s base in Muridke.

The military operation, named 'Operation Sindoor', was conducted two weeks after the massacre of 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

Prior to the strikes, the government had convened an all-party meeting on April 24 to brief leaders on the terror attack and discuss the nation’s response.

(inputs from PTI)