New Delhi: Following the 2019 Pulwama terror attack and the subsequent Balakot airstrikes, India’s military and strategic establishment reassessed its doctrine of deterrence, with an emphasis on raising the bar both militarily and politically. This reassessment resulted in the “carefully calibrated” strikes under ‘Operation Sindoor’, which marked a departure from previous patterns of limited or reactive engagement, said military sources.
Officials privy to the planning described the approach as deliberate and differentiated, designed to reflect a shift in India’s military paradigm. “You don’t play the same card twice,” said a senior source, referencing the Balakot strike. “There was a need to demonstrate evolving thinking and show that red lines had been crossed — not just in rhetoric, but in the scale and selection of military targets.”
Among the nine facilities targeted, military sources highlighted three key sites: Bahawalpur, Muridke, and Bhuja. These were not random choices. “Each of these is a nerve centre of Pakistan’s state-enabled terror infrastructure,” an official explained. “They represent decades of collusion between the Pakistani deep state and jihadist outfits operating against India,” sources said.
The Masjid and Markaz in Bahawalpur, widely known as the headquarters of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), were a primary target. While JeM is a relatively newer formation, its ideological and operational roots trace back to older outfits such as Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami, which were active well before the group’s formal creation. “Bahawalpur is not just symbolic; it is operationally critical. This is where the indoctrination and logistical coordination happen,” said a defence source.
The Muridke facility, home to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its parent organisation, the Markaz ud-Dawa wal-Irshad, was also struck. This site, according to military assessments, has been instrumental in training and dispatching militants into Jammu and Kashmir and beyond. “This place is a breeding ground for jihadist infrastructure. The presence of LeT founder Hafiz Saeed and other top leadership underscores its centrality in anti-India operations,” an officer noted.
Less well-known but equally critical was the target at Bhuja, which officials described as a logistics and training node that has supported multiple terror outfits over the years. “It’s not just about prominent names like JeM or LeT. It’s about the entire architecture — where they’re trained, sheltered, and supported,” a source clarified.
Military sources emphasised that these strikes were not mere retaliation but part of a strategic messaging campaign, aimed at both the Pakistani establishment and the international community. The message: India will no longer distinguish between terrorists and their enablers.
“These attacks were calibrated to avoid escalation but designed to be decisive. Precision weapons were used. Civilian areas were avoided. But the impact was clear: no sanctuary is safe anymore,” the source added.
Officials also placed these actions in a broader historical context. During the Afghan jihad in the 1980s, Pakistan’s initial reliance on Pashtun groups was soon supplemented by the rise of Punjabi Taliban — a development engineered by Pakistan’s intelligence services. This second wave included militant groups like HUM, HUJI, and eventually JeM and LeT, all of which were redirected towards Kashmir once the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan.
“These were strategic assets of the Pakistani state, repurposed to wage a proxy war against India,” said a senior military official.
The Indian response post-Pulwama and now under Operation Sindoor is intended to institutionalise a new normal. “We’ve drawn clear red lines. Terrorism emanating from across the border — regardless of how deep the infrastructure lies — will be met with decisive, calibrated force,” a military spokesperson said. India, officials concluded, is no longer seeking reactive engagements but proactive deterrence, setting new rules that redefine engagement thresholds with Pakistan.
IANS
