Muridke, just 30 km from Lahore, has been the base of Lashkar-e-Taiba since the 1990s. Led by Hafiz Saeed — who is also on India's most-wanted list — the LeT has been responsible for high-profile attacks, notably the 26/11 Mumbai terror siege.
Eyewitness accounts have begun to emerge following India’s Operation Sindoor, which struck terror-linked infrastructure in Pakistan. Among the key locations struck were the headquarters of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Muridke — two nerve centres long associated with cross-border terror operations against India.
According to a report filed by Reuters, a resident of Muridke described the situation at the location of the strike, said, “It was 12:45 in night and we were sleeping. First a drone came, then three more. The drone attack destroyed the administrative office and the roof of the mosque. One officer was sitting on the roof, he was killed. Everything is crushed.”
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Another local said, "Fear spread among the people, people went out into the fields, into open spaces, this is how the night passed in fear."
Muridke, just 30 km from Lahore, has been the base of Lashkar-e-Taiba since the 1990s. Led by Hafiz Saeed — who is also on India's most-wanted list — the LeT has been responsible for multiple high-profile attacks, most notably the 26/11 Mumbai terror siege. The group has also been linked to attacks in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and across Jammu and Kashmir.
Meanwile, in New Delhi, while briefing the media on Wednesday about Operation Sindoor, Col Sofiya Qureshi presented the videos of destruction of terror camps, including from Muridke where David Headley and Ajmal Kasab, perpetrators of 2008 Mumbai attacks received training. Other than Muridke, Sarjal camp in Sialkot, Markaz Ahle Hadith, Barnala and Markaz Abbas, Kotli and Mehmoona Joya camp, Sialkot were targeted in the strikes conducted by the Indian Army, Col Qureshi informed. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that it was essential to bring the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack to justice.
“India has demonstrated considerable restraint in the selection of targets and method of execution,” the Defence Ministry said, suggesting a calibrated response aimed at disrupting the operational backbone of these terror outfits without escalating military tensions.
A day before Operation Sindoor, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief General Asim Munir made a conspicuous visit to the headquarters of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in Aabpara, Islamabad—raising serious questions about the intent behind the meeting.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had vowed to take strong action against the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack, which killed 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen. A high-level security review meeting with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Home Secretary Govind Mohan was convened by PM Modi on Tuesday, focusing on India's options to respond to the dastardly attacks.
