Amid flare-up hours after thaw, officials say things will settle down with time

NEW DELHI: Before the pause in hostilities on Saturday evening, cross-border combat had rapidly moved up the escalation ladder with India strongly striking back at Pakistan by targeting nine airbases and two radar sites to inflict heavy damage in the early hours of the day.

The operational situation seemed to be flaring up once again barely two hours after the cessation of hostilities at 5pm, with multiple ceasefire violations by Pakistan and air intrusions by its drones being reported from all along the western front.

Senior officers, however, stressed that "all major military actions" have stopped from either side, though it may take some time for things to settle down on the ground amid the surcharged tensions between the rival forces.

"As decided, Indian DGMO Lt-General Rajiv Ghai will talk to his Pakistani counterpart Major General Kashif Abdullah on Monday to work out the nuts and bolts of the truce," a senior officer said.

The exchange of fire and shelling along the 778-km Line of Control petered out later in the night after taking place at multiple locations like Akhnoor, Nowshera, Poonch, Rajouri, Jammu, RS Pura, Arnia and Kathua in the evening.

Some of the drones spotted at different locations in J&K, Rajasthan and Gujarat were taken down, while the rest flew back. "There is no firing happening along the LoC now," an officer said.

In the early hours of Saturday, India's swift and calibrated precision attacks came after Pakistan deployed fighters like F-16s and JF-17s, high-speed missiles like Fatah, armed drones and loitering munitions against Indian military bases at over 26 locations under its Operation Bunyan al-Marsoos (Iron Wall).

With Pakistan firing several missiles at different airbases, India accepted it sustained "limited damage to equipment and personnel" at IAF bases in Udhampur, Pathankot, Adampur and Bhuj. Pakistan, however, has suffered "very heavy and unsustainable losses" after Operation Sindoor was launched in the early hours of May 7.

India's hit-back was particularly severe. Long-range weapons fired by IAF fighters caused extensive damage to crucial Pakistani airbases like Skardu, Jacobabad, Bholari and Rahim Yar Khan, with deep craters being formed on their runways.

The other airbases to be targeted were Rafiqui, Murid, Nur Khan-Chaklala, Sukkur and Chunian as well as radar sites at the Pasrur and Sialkot aviation bases. The weapons used included BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, Crystal Maze-2 missiles, Scalp air-to-ground cruise missiles, Hammer air-to-ground precision-guided munitions and Spice-2000 precision-guided bombs.

"In addition, the loss of air defence weapon systems and radars made the defence of Pakistani airspace untenable," Wing Commander Vyomika Singh said. Colonel Sofia Qureshi, in turn, said there was also "extensive and precise damage" to military infrastructure, command control centres, and logistical installations across the LoC.

The officials did not take questions about how many fighters India had lost during the high-tempo Operation Sindoor, nor were the number of casualties given.

They, however, warned Pakistan to cease and desist. "Every misadventure by Pakistan has been met with strength. Every future escalation will invite a decisive response. We remain fully operationally, ready to launch whatever may be required in the nation's defence," Commodore Raghu R Nair said, after the truce was announced.

The military officers also slammed Pakistan for a "malicious misinformation campaign" with "totally false" claims of destruction of an Indian S-400 air defence system in Adampur, the BrahMos missile base in Nagrota and the Suratgarh and Sirsa airfields, among others.

"Pakistan also made false allegations that the Indian Army had damaged mosques. I want to make it very clear that India is a secular nation and our Army is a very beautiful reflection of the constitutional values of India," Col Qureshi said.