The Indian Army has confirmed that the Golden Temple in Amritsar was one of the targets in a major drone and missile assault carried out by Pakistan during the night of May 8 and 9 in retaliation for India's strikes on nine terrorist sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) as part of Operation Sindoor. Thanks to prior intelligence and vigilant air defence measures, the sacred shrine remained completely unharmed.
The Indian Army's Air defence systems played a critical role in repelling Pakistan's misadventures. The Army on Monday showcased a demonstration of how Indian Air Defence systems, including AKASH missile system, L-70 Air Defence Guns, saved the Golden Temple in Amritsar and cities of Punjab from Pakistani missile and drone attacks.
How India's Air Defence system thwarted Pakistan's attempt?
Major General Kartik C Seshadri, GOC (General Officer Commanding) 15 Infantry Division, said that the Indian Army had anticipated Pakistan's plan to strike both military and civilian sites in the area, including religious landmarks like 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.
He further said that Pakistan engaged in an air assault with aerial weapons, including drones and long-range missiles, targeting the Golden Temple, which was "thwarted" by the army personnel, who remained prepared for such situations and attacks.
Another soldier said that some Kamikaze drones, surface-to-surface and air-to-surface missiles were launched directly for the Golden Temple. "After not getting any success in causing damage to our air bases and military installations for about 3 days, they targeted civilian areas, Gurdwara Sahib and other areas with these Kamikaze drones and rockets. All the air raid was intercepted and shot down with great precision," he 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.
Air defence gunners thwarted Pakistan Army's attempt
The GOC 15 Infantry Division explained in detail the consequences of the Pahalgam terror attack, which prompted the launch of Operation Sindoor, where India attacked nine terror camps deep inside Pakistan's territory, resulting in aggression from the Pakistani side.
"Consequent to the Pak Army-sponsored dastardly terrorist attack on innocent tourists, both domestic and international, the nation's anger under able leadership took the form of Operation Sindoor, wherein befitting punitive strikes were carried out on exclusive terror targets. Nine targets were hit. Of the nine targets, seven were exclusively destroyed by the Indian Army," Major General Seshadri told ANI.
The Major General said that the armed forces targeted many places with "absolute precision" during Operation Sindoor, striking areas like Muridke and Bahawalpur, which house the headquarters of terrorist organisations. "Of these (nine) targets, Muridke, which is in proximity to Lahore, houses the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba headquarters and also the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) headquarters at Bahawalpur, which were struck with absolute precision. Soon after the strikes, we issued a statement clarifying that we intentionally did not target any Pakistani military or civilian infrastructure," he added.
India's Air Defence Systems proved their prowess at the height of the tensions between the two neighbours, intercepting numerous drones, missiles, micro UAVs, and loitering munitions, emerging as a globally actionable defence asset.
(With ANI inputs)
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