India strikes Karachi’s Malir Cantt in measured response to Pakistan’s aggression, confirms IAF

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has confirmed conducting precision air strikes on military targets inside Pakistan, including a surface-to-air missile (SAM) site at Malir Cantonment in Karachi. The operation, codenamed Operation Sindoor, was revealed by Air Marshal A.K. Bharti, Director-General of Operations for the IAF, during a briefing held on Sunday evening, May 11. According to Air Marshal Bharti, the strikes were a "measured and calibrated" response to what India described as acts of aggression by Pakistan across the Line of Control (LoC) and the international border (IB).

Malir Cantonment, located around 35 kilometres from Karachi city, is a major Pakistani military base. It was one of the main targets in the IAF's retaliatory operation. Bharti stated that the air strikes specifically targeted military installations and avoided civilian infrastructure. Alongside Malir, the IAF also struck a radar site in Lahore and another installation near Gujranwala, both in Pakistan’s Punjab province.

The strikes were carried out in response to what Indian authorities described as multiple provocations from the Pakistani side, including the use of drones, missile fire, and artillery shelling. These activities reportedly took place along both the LoC and the IB in the days following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam. India has attributed the Pahalgam attack to actors backed by the Pakistani state apparatus. Operation Sindoor marks the first confirmed Indian military operation inside Pakistani territory since that attack.

Vice Admiral A.N. Pramod also confirmed the Indian Navy’s active involvement in Operation Sindoor. According to his statement, the Navy deployed carrier battle groups, submarines, and aviation units outside Karachi Harbour. These deployments, he stated, were intended to maintain a "deterrent posture with full readiness and capacity to strike select targets at sea and on land, including Karachi, at a time of our choosing." He added that Pakistani naval and air units were observed remaining mostly inside harbours or close to the coastline during the period of Indian deployment.

The Indian military has not released casualty figures or specific timelines of the operations but emphasized that all actions were limited to targeting Pakistani military infrastructure. No further details were provided on the nature of weaponry used or flight paths taken. India’s armed forces remain on alert, with the situation being monitored closely following the completion of initial phases of Operation Sindoor.