Akhnoor (Jammu and Kashmir) [India]: The launch of Operation Sindoor in the early hours of Wednesday has brought an emotional sense of justice and relief to the families of the victims of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 people, including several tourists from Maharashtra.
For these families, the coordinated strikes on nine terror targets—four inside Pakistan and five in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK)—represent a symbolic and real strike at the heart of terrorism.
Asvari Jagdale, daughter of Santosh Jagdale, one of the Pahalgam victims, shared her emotional response with media:
“We were crying with happiness. Modi has taken revenge, and the way the operation was named, our tears wouldn’t stop. Those sisters whose sindoor (symbol of marital status) was erased by these terrorists–India has struck them at nine locations. It feels truly different, and our tears of joy just won’t stop.”
Sanjay Dwivedi, father of another victim, Shubham Dwivedi, said the Army’s actions reaffirmed their faith in the government:
“I am continuously watching the news. I salute the Indian army and thank PM Modi, who listened to the pain of the country’s people. The way the Indian military has destroyed the terrorism that is flourishing in Pakistan, I thank our military for that… My entire family has been feeling light since we heard this news…”
Another family member, Manoj Dwivedi, said the operation fulfilled the call for justice:
“On 22nd April, when our child lost his life, we said that a revolution is going to come in our country, and we were sure that PM Modi will take the strictest step to finish terrorism. I want to thank PM Modi for the real tribute that the Army has given today to our son…”
The sentiment was echoed on the ground, as locals in Jammu chanted slogans such as “Indian Army Zindabad” and “Bharat Mata ki Jai” in support of the Armed Forces.
“It was very important for the government to give a response to the attack made by Pakistan… we are really thankful to the government and the Indian Army,” said a local resident to ANI.
India’s deepest cross-border strike since the 1971 Indo-Pak war was carried out with precision-guided munitions and Kamikaze drones. Sources confirmed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi monitored the operation overnight, and all selected targets were successfully neutralized.
The Ministry of Defence reiterated that the strikes were focused, restrained, and non-escalatory, explicitly avoiding Pakistani military installations.
“Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in the selection of targets and method of execution,” the Ministry stated.
Operation Sindoor was aimed at eliminating top leadership and infrastructure of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the terror groups allegedly responsible for orchestrating attacks on Indian soil.