'Pahalgam tak paap ka ye ghada bhar chuka tha,' says DGMO Rajiv Ghai

Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, Director General of Military Operations (DGMO), said that not only did Pakistan attack India's military installations but also targeted civilians. Ghai said that things came to a head with the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 that claimed the lives of 26 people, including 1 Nepali citizen. 

His comments came at the Armed Forces' joint briefing on the ongoing Operation Sindoor today. On May 7, the Indian Armed Forces launched a series of precision strikes against terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) under the codename Operation Sindoor. 

The DGMO said: "In the last few years, the character of terrorist activities have changed. Innocent civilians were being attacked.. 'Pahalgam tak paap ka ye ghada bhar chuka tha'."

Lt Gen Ghai added that since India attacked Pakistan without crossing the Line of Control or International Border (IB), the forces were sure that Pakistan Army would go the same route as well. 

"Countermanned aerial system, electronic warfare mechanism, and AD battle systems were all put in sync together," he said. 

Moreover, Air Marshal AK Bharti, the Director General of Air Operations (DGAO), said that India's attack was on terror camps in Pakistan and not its Army. He said that it is a pity that the Pakistan Army chose to respond for the terrorists. 

"Our fight was against terrorism and terrorists, that’s why we attacked terrorist camps. But it’s unfortunate that the Pakistan military supported terrorists and made it their fight," the DGAO said. 

Air Marshal Bharti added that the stellar performance of India's defence systems has been a key highlight of Operation Sindoor. 

"Another highlight has been the stellar performance of the indigenous air defence system, the Akash system. Putting together and operationalising the potent AD environment has been possible only because of budgetary and policy support from the government of India in the last decade," he said. 

Furthermore, he showed the video footage of the wreckage of the Chinese-origin YIHA and Turkish-made Songar drones that were shot down by India.