Thu May 08 18:10:00 UTC 2025: ## India Rejects Pakistan’s Claims of Dam Targeting After Retaliatory Strikes
**NEW DELHI** – India has vehemently denied Pakistani accusations that its retaliatory airstrikes, codenamed Operation Sindoor, targeted the Neelum Jhelum dam. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri dismissed the claims as a “complete fabrication,” stating that India only targeted terrorist infrastructure. He warned Pakistan that using such allegations as a pretext for attacking Indian infrastructure would have serious consequences.
Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the April 22 Pulwama terror attack that killed 25 tourists and locals, involved strikes on nine Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK). The Indian government maintains the operation was “non-escalatory, precise, controlled, and measured.”
However, Pakistan responded with attempted attacks on 15 Indian cities, including Srinagar, Pathankot, Amritsar, Ludhiana, and Chandigarh. These attempts were thwarted by the Indian Air Force, which retaliated by targeting Pakistani air defense systems in Lahore and other locations. The Indian government emphasized that its response was proportionate to Pakistan’s actions.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, at an all-party meeting, reiterated India’s commitment to de-escalation but warned of strong retaliation should Pakistan launch further attacks. He confirmed that Operation Sindoor remains ongoing. The government continues to assert that the April 22 attack involved the cold-blooded murder of tourists after religious profiling.
First Piper 