New Delhi, May 9: Afghanistan’s former vice president Amrullah Saleh has voiced strong support for India’s recent airstrike, dubbed ‘Operation Sindoor’, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, describing it as “bold, unprecedented, and true to its promise.”
The Indian government launched the 25-minute precision strike between 1:05 and 1:30 a.m. in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, in which 26 civilians — mostly tourists — were killed. The strike hit nine locations linked to militant outfits Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen.
Saleh, an outspoken critic of Pakistan and former intelligence chief under the Ashraf Ghani government, rebuked Islamabad’s condemnation of the strike as “cowardly,” calling the Indian action a “courageous, forthright strike.”
“India’s retaliation was bold, unprecedented, and true to its promise, tightening the rope by nine knots,” Saleh posted on social media platform X.
“I find it puzzling that Pakistan labels it a ‘Buzdelana’ (cowardly) attack… a term reserved for disguised terrorist attacks, suicide bombings, and dirty proxy wars,” he said, adding: “What India executed was anything but cowardly.”
India’s Ministry of Defence said the operation was “focused, measured and non-escalatory,” noting that Pakistani military targets were deliberately avoided. “India has demonstrated considerable restraint in the selection of targets and the method of execution,” the ministry said in a statement.
JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar reportedly admitted that 10 of his family members and four aides were killed in the strikes.
Saleh, now in exile after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in 2021, expressed regret that he lacked similar capability during his tenure to target terrorist strongholds like the Quetta Shura. “I wish I had such capability under my command when the Quetta Shura was active,” he said, also criticizing NATO and U.S. reluctance to carry out similar operations during the Afghan conflict.
India’s Operation Sindoor was described as not just a military strike but a message of resolve against cross-border terrorism. A video presentation during the post-strike briefing cited a decade-long toll from terrorism emanating from Pakistan: over 350 civilians and 600 security personnel killed, with more than 2,200 injured.
The name “Sindoor,” referencing the red vermilion worn by married Hindu women, symbolized the government’s vow to protect its citizens, officials said.
