Amritsar: The Indian Army showcased its air defence capabilities in Amritsar, highlighting how systems like the AKASH missile and L-70 Air Defence Guns successfully protected the Golden Temple and Key cities in Punjab from Pakistani missile and drone threats.
Major General Kartik C Seshadri, GOC, 15 Infantry Division, emphasised the nation's swift military response following the Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 civilians, including a Nepali citizen. He said that under strong leadership, the retaliatory Operation Sindoor was launched, targeting terror infrastructure.
"Nine targets were hit. Of the nine targets, seven were exclusively destroyed by the Indian Army. Of these targets, the Muridke, which is in proximity of Lahore houses the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba headquarters as also the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) headquarters at Bahawalpur, which were struck with absolute precision," he said.
He said that the Indian army had anticipated Pakistan's move to target its military installations along with civilian establishments here, including religious places such as the Golden Temple, which was the prime target according to information received from the intelligence.
"Knowing that the Pak Army does not have any legitimate targets, we anticipated that they would target Indian military installations, civilian targets, including religious places. Of these, the Golden Temple appeared to be the most prominent. We mobilised additional modern air defence assets to give a holistic air defence umbrella cover to Golden Temple," Major General Seshadri said.
"On 8th May early morning, in the hours of darkness, Pakistan carried out a massive air assault with unmanned aerial weapons, primarily drones and long-range missiles. We were fully prepared since we had anticipated this, and our braveheart and alert army air defence gunners thwarted Pakistan Army's nefarious designs and shot down all drones and missiles targeted at the Golden Temple. Thus, not allowing even a scratch to come on our holy Golden Temple," Seshadri said.
He clarified that no Pakistani military or civilian infrastructure was targeted. The demonstration was aimed at reassuring citizens of the Army's readiness and the precision of its retaliatory capabilities in the face of cross-border terrorism. (with ANI inputs)
