The North News
New Delhi, May 10
India has formally declared that any future terrorist attack will be treated as an Act of War, a major doctrinal shift aimed at deterring cross-border aggression. The announcement followed a high-level security meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his official residence, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, top military commanders, and senior intelligence officials in attendance.
The decision comes in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, and amid a surge in hostilities along the western border. Indian forces have already launched retaliatory air strikes deep inside Pakistan, targeting military infrastructure in multiple regions, including Rafiqui, Murid, Chaklala, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, and Chunian.
In a media briefing in the morning, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi described the operations as “swift, surgical, and restrained,” noting that precision-guided munitions were employed to avoid civilian casualties. “Our strikes focused on command centres, radar facilities, ammunition stores, and aviation assets,” she said.
Colonel Qureshi also accused Pakistan of using commercial flight paths to disguise military manoeuvres. “Pakistani forces exploited civilian aviation corridors to move troops, forcing Indian defences to act with extreme caution,” she said. Meanwhile, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh confirmed multiple Pakistani incursions targeting Indian air bases in Udhampur, Bhuj, Pathankot, and Bathinda, as well as missile strikes on civilian sites including schools and hospitals. The destruction of a terrorist launch pad in Looni, near the Akhnoor sector, she said.
India said it thwarted a large-scale offensive and rejected Pakistani claims of successful hits on sensitive Indian assets. “Disinformation regarding damage to S-400 systems or airbases is entirely baseless,” said Singh.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri denounced Islamabad’s narrative as “a deliberate campaign of lies and propaganda,” and dismissed Pakistani assertions that Indian operations extended into Afghanistan as “ludicrous.”
Misri confirmed the killing of Additional District Development Commissioner Raj Kumar Thapa in Pakistani shelling in Rajouri, describing it as part of a “disturbing pattern of escalation.”
While reiterating India’s commitment to avoiding full-scale war, Misri warned that any further provocation would meet a decisive military response. “Let there be no doubt — restraint is not weakness. Falsehoods and aggression will be countered firmly,” he said.
In a pointed rebuke, he also criticised Pakistani military statements aimed at stoking dissent within India. “In a democracy, debate is natural. If Pakistan struggles to understand that, it only reflects their own political deficit,” he added.
