PoK Kalam THURSDAY 08 MUZAFFARABAD MAY, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in Mardan Peshawar facebook.com/TheMorningStandard KOTLI Islamabad X.com/TheMornStandard Kupwara Bandipur Tithwal Baramula Srinagar Poonch Badgam GULPUR LAYS OFF 180 AFTER TRUMP PULLS $400M Pahalgam Doda Udhampur Jammu Samba BHIMBER COLUMBIA Leh SIALKOT INDIA MURIDKE Columbia University on Tuesday said that it would be laying off 180 staffers in response to the US Prez’s decision to cancel $400 million in funding. Kishtwar Amritsar Lahore Jalandhar A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9  NEW DELHI  J8.00  PAGES 12 PA K I S TA N BAHAWALPUR Pak foreign ministry PAHALGAM AVENGED Precision strikes on nine terror camps of Let, JeM and Hizb in Pakistan and PoK from 1 .04 am No military or civilian infra attacked Govt works the phones to brief major international leaders Pak calls it a heinous act of aggression, says resolute response underway M AYA N K S I N G H @ New Delhi “Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escaA fortnight after the horrific latory in nature. No Pakistani Pahalgam massacre that shook military facilities have been up the nation like never before, targeted. India has demonstratIndia launched Operation Sin- ed considerable restraint in sedoor in the wee hours of lection of targets and method Wednesday hitting nine terror- of execution,” the defence min, ist sites in Pakistan and Paki- istry statement stated. stan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK). These steps came in the wake The “precision strikes” by of the barbaric Pahalgam termissiles were against the terror rorist attack in which 25 Indiinfrastructure alone in Paki- ans and a Nepali citizen were stan. An official, who spoke on gunned down. “We are living condition of anoup to the commitnymity, said PM ment that those Narendra Modi responsible for monitored the this attack will operation against be held accountPrime Minister Pakistan through able,” the minisNarendra Modi the night. try said. hails the armed The camps Senior Indian forces for targeted strikes that faced Indian of ficials later at terror camps in b r i e f e d t h e i r fury in Pakistan Pakistan and PoK counterparts in a across the International Border number of counw e r e M a rk a z tries, including Subhan Allah at Bahawalpur, the US, the UK, Saudi Arabia, Markaz Taiba at Murdike, and UAE and Russia on the attack. Mehmoona Joya and Sarjal at National Security Advisor Tehra Kalan in Sialkot. Ajit Doval spoke to his US counThe other five were inside terpart, Secretary of State the PoK across the Line of Con- Marco Rubio, briefing him on trol (LoC) — the Markaz Abbas the Indian actions. in Kotli and Syedna Bilal camp The operation was jointly in Muzaffarabad (all of the conducted by the Army and the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed), Air Force with the Indian Navy Markaz Ahle Hadith at Barnala on high alert as their warships and Sawai Nalla camp also at were positioned into the interMuzaffarabad (all of banned national waters so as to reLashkar-e-Toiba) and Markaz spond if required. Raheel Shahid in Kotli (of the On the details of the weapbanned Hizbul Mujahideen). onry utilised, while the sources Strikes kill 10 family members of Masood Azhar M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi People burst firecrackers and wave the tricolour as they hail Operation Sindoor that took out terror camps in Pakistan and PoK, in Prayagraj on Wednesday | PTI did not provide specific information, they confirmed that “standoff ” weapons were used. Rafale jets are equipped with Scalp and Hammer missiles, both capable of being launched from a standoff distance. The Scalp is an air-launched cruise missile with a range of up to 250 km, while the Hammer is designed for precision ground strikes from long distances. For its part, Pakistan claimed 31 civilian casualties — 26 from missile attacks and five due to artillery attack along the LoC. Indiscriminate artillery fire from Pakistan hit the civilian areas in Poonch and Tangdhar sectors, killing at least 13 people, including a woman and two minor girls. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack as a “heinous act of aggression”, saying, “a resolute response is already underway .” MORE REPORTS ON P3, 4, 5, 7 & 8 India briefs China, key world powers on calibrated response J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi FOLLOWING precision strikes on nine terror camps under ‘Operation Sindoor’, India on Wednesday launched a diplomatic outreach to key global powers, including China, to assert its firm stance against cross-border terrorism. Shortly after the 25-minute operation concluded in the wee hours on Wednesday, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval reached out to US NSA Marco Rubio, UK NSA Jonathan Powell, Saudi NSA Musaid Al Aiban, UAE NSA Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, UAE National Security Council Secretary General Ali Al Shamsi, Russian NSA Sergei Shoigu, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Diplomatic Advisor to the French President Emmanuel Bonne, and Japan’s NSA Masataka Okano. Sources said the interlocutors were informed that the strikes were a calibrated response designed to prevent and deter further terror attacks from Pakistan, highlighting that the strikes were targeted, measured, and non-escaIndia has no intent to escalate, but will ‘retaliate resolutely’ if Pak does so Ajit Doval, NSA ROHIT CALLS IT A DAY AS INDIA TEST CRICKETER THE WORLD CUP-WINNING CAPTAIN ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT AHEAD OF THE 5-TEST SERIES IN ENGLAND “Hello everyone, I would just like to share that I am retiring from Test cricket. It’s been an absolute honour to represent my country in whites. Thank you for all the love and support over the years. I will continue to represent India in the ODI format,” he posted on instagram with a picture of his Test cap SHUBMAN OR BUMRAH TO LEAD IN ENGLAND? The 38-year-old was one of India’s most prolific Test openers, scoring 4301 runs in 67 Tests with 12 hundreds and 18 half centuries at 40.57 He has already retired from T20. He will continue to play and captain India in ODIs. Rohit led India to Champions Trophy triumph in Feb 2025 | P11 With over a month left for India’s 5-Test series to begin against England in England, it needs to be seen who selectors name as captain — Shubman Gill or Jasprit Bumrah latory.Doval briefed them on the “method of execution” of the operation, emphasising restraint and precision to avoid civilian casualties. During his call with Wang, Doval said that India has no plans to escalate tensions with Pakistan but is well prepared to “retaliate resolutely” if Islamabad does so. In a parallel diplomatic push, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar briefed his counterparts from many countries including Spain, Germany, France, and Qatar. Separately, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri also briefed the envoys of 13 permanent and non-permanent members of the UN Security Council. SEVERAL family members and close associates of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) founder Masood Azhar were killed in the precision airstrikes carried out by India on Wednesday morning on terror infrastructure across Pakistan and Pakistanoccupied Jammu & Kashmir. According to Pakistan media reports, Masood Azhar released a statement admitting that 10 of his family members—his elder sister and husband, a nephew and wife, a niece and five children— were killed. However, unconfirmed sources said that 14 people were killed in Jamia JeM founder Masjid Subhan Allah in Masood Azhar Bahawalpur. According to intelligence sources, over 80 terrorists were neutralised in the coordinated strikes by Indian forces, with the most intense operations being in JeM’s Bahawalpur headquarters and at Lashkar-e-Taiba’s main centre in Muridke, where 25-30 terrorists were killed at each of the locations. It is also reported that a close aide of Azhar and his mother, and two other close associates were also killed in the Indian strikes. Camp that trained Kasab razed down E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ New Delhi Col Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh | PTI WOMEN POWER IN FULL DISPLAY India displayed its ‘Nari Shakti’ during a press briefing by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri as he was accompanied by Col Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh to give broader details of Operation Sindoor. While Col Qureshi is from the Army’s Corps of Signals, Wg Cdr Singh is a veteran helicopter pilot who has also taken part in rescue ops | P7 INDIAN forces on Wednesday confirmed that they have carried out 25 missile strikes on nine terror training camps located across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir including Muridke, where 26/11 Mumbai terror attack operatives Ajmal Kasab and David Coleman Headley were trained. While briefing the med i a , C o l o n e l S o f i ya Qureshi presented video Ajmal Kasab evidence of the destroyed training camps, including footage from Muridke (Lashkar-e-Taiba headquarters) and Bahawalpur (Jaish-e-Mohammad headquarters). Colonel Qureshi also confirmed that it was at the Muridke facility that provided terror training to Kasab and Headley . ALL IN A DAY 11 AM Following ‘Operation Sindoor’, PM chaired a Union Cabinet meeting. During the meeting, defence minister Rajnath Singh briefed the members regarding the strikes 2 PM PM Modi met President Droupadi Murmu and briefed her on Indian armed forces’ precision strikes at terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK Union home minister Amit Shah held a virtual meeting with chief ministers and lieutenant governors of the states and the Union territories having borders with Pakistan and Nepal. Shah also talked to Directors General (DGs) of the BSF and SSB, and asked them to keep the forces on high alert and cancel all leaves of their personnel SAWAI NALLA CAMP Jean-Noel, French FM 2 MUZAFFARABAD: A Jaish-eMohammed camp, it was being used as a staging area. It trained terrorists in weapons, explosives and jungle cum survival techniques for terror attacks in J&K SYEDNA BELAL CAMP Russia’s foreign ministry 1 MUZAFFARABAD: Located in PoK, 30km from the LoC, it was a key LeT training facility. The recent Pahalgam attack was carried out by a terror module which was incubated at Sawai Nalla 3 KOTLI: Located 30km from LoC, it was the LeT base for operating in RajouriPoonch. Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, 26/11 mastermind, frequented it for indoctrination and motivational speeches GULPUR CAMP Chinese foreign ministry NINE 4 KOTLI: Located about 13km from LoC, it was the nerve centre for training LeT suicide bombers. This camp had training infrastructure for about 50 terrorists ABBAS CAMP Donald Trump, US president Soon after the success of India’s strikes, Pakistan launched a disinformation campaign to distract global attention and reshape the narrative through fabricated claims. India termed them as a “desperate attempt to shift the focus and control the narrative with a barrage of lies and digital theatrics.” Several users in Pakistan shared an image of a jet claiming that the Pakistan Army had shot down an Indian Rafale jet near Bahawalpur. But the Fact Check Unit of I&B ministry quickly debunked the claim, clarifying that the image was actually from a 2021 crash of a MiG-21 in Moga, Punjab, and had no connection to current events. 5 BHIMBER: Located 9km from LoC, it was used for providing training to terrorists in weapon handling, IED making and jungle survival techniques BARNALA CAMP Pakistan reserves the right to respond appropriately at a time and place of its choosing 6 SIALKOT: Located about 6km from the International Border. Terrorists who killed four J&K policemen in March 2025 were trained and launched from this camp SARJAL CAMP We call on India and Pakistan to exercise restraint to avoid escalation and protect civilians 7 SIALKOT: Located 12km from IB, this was a key training facility of Hizbul Mujahideen. Was used as the control centre to revive terror in Kathua and Jammu region MEHMOONA JOYA CAMP We hope the differences will be resolved through peaceful, political and diplomatic means 8 MURIDKE: Located 25km from IB, it was the LeT HQ. Terrorists Ajmal Kasab and David Coleman Headley involved in 26/11 were trained here MARKAZ TOIBA We call on India and Pakistan to prioritise peace and stability, remain calm and restrained THE CHOSEN 9 BAHAWALPUR: Located around 100km from IB, it was Jaish-e-Mohammed’s HQ. Was frequented by Masood Azhar who issued directions to the cadre from this camp MARKAZ SUBHAN It’s a shame. They have been fighting for many, many decades... I just hope it ends very quickly India calls out ‘desperate Pak attempt to control narrative’ on social media 5 PM Foreign secretary Vikram Misri met 13 envoys and representatives from UNSC member countries and briefed them on the attack. During the meeting, Misri made it “unequivocally clear that India’s strikes were proportional and focused solely on terrorist camps, but any retaliatory action by Pakistan will promptly draw a decisive Indian response” 25 18 Minute operations to take out Pak terror infra 250+ Flights cancelled during the day Airports, including Srinagar, temporarily shut after India strikes on Pak Mission Sankalp: 22 Naxals gunned down in C’garh encounter E J A Z K A I S E R @ Raipur AT least 22 Maoists were killed in an encounter with security forces during the operation ‘Mission Sankalp’ in an edgy Bijapur’s south-west forest border area adjoining Telangana on Wednesday, a senior police officer said. The gunbattle broke out in the morning along the inter-state border close to Karregutta hilly terrain. “So far, 22 bodies have been recovered as the search operation continues in the region. The identity of the dead Maoists is yet to be established,” he said. During the ‘Mission Sankalp’ in south Bastar region against the banned CPI (Maoist) for the past two weeks, the s e c u r i t y fo rc e s h ave gunned down 26 rebels. Three women Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security forces on April 24. On May 5, another woman Maoist was neutralised. “Several weapons have been recovered during the ongoing inter-state operation involving more than 15,000 security personnel over the past 12 days, as troops continue to march ahead towards a lesser-known Karregutta forested hills surrounded by dense forests, believed to be a safe haven for senior Maoist leaders,” said the officer. Based on intelligence inputs about the presence of Maoists along the south-west border areas of Bijapur, a joint team of security forces launched the operation, the officer said, adding that an encounter broke out on Wednesday . Owing to inhospitable topography the security forces could , not recover all the bodies, the officer added.