Pakistan Retaliates After Indian Missile Strikes: Op. ‘Bunyan-un-Marsoos’ Launched

By Staff, Agencies

In a dramatic escalation between South Asia’s nuclear-armed rivals, India launched early morning missile strikes on multiple Pakistani air bases on Saturday, prompting a swift and forceful retaliation by Pakistan under the newly declared military operation titled Bunyan-un-Marsoos.

At around 3:30 a.m., Indian forces targeted Pakistan Air Force [PAF] bases at Nur Khan [Chaklala, Rawalpindi], Murid [Chakwal], and Rafiqui [Shorkot in Jhang district], according to Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations [ISPR].

Addressing a press conference, he confirmed that all air force assets remained intact and that most of the incoming missiles had been intercepted by Pakistani air defense systems. Those that did reach their targets reportedly caused no significant damage.

The ISPR spokesperson accused India of recklessly pushing the region toward a major war, calling its actions “madness, aggression, and deceit.” He also linked the attacks to a broader Indian agenda, noting that missiles and drone strikes had recently been launched into Afghanistan as well, signaling an expanded and dangerous strategic posture.

The Pakistani military responded to India’s aggression by launching Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos. At 4:38 a.m., state-run PTV News reported the beginning of Pakistan’s counteroffensive. By 5:52 a.m., PTV and Radio Pakistan confirmed that the military had destroyed a BrahMos missile storage facility in India’s Beas region. Strikes were also reported on military installations in Udhampur and Pathankot.

Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan and other officials, including PPP Senator Sherry Rehman, praised the military’s precision and restraint, emphasizing that Pakistani strikes were confined to military targets in contrast to India’s alleged attacks on civilian areas.

By 6:13 a.m., the destruction of the BrahMos storage site was confirmed, and by 6:50 a.m. Indian media outlets like The Times of India reported unverified explosions in Pathankot. Pakistani sources claimed that drones were flying over New Delhi, and PTV stated that key Indian military installations were being targeted in a “befitting response.”

Further reports stated that Pakistan’s JF-17 Thunder fighter jets had used hypersonic missiles to destroy India’s S-400 air defense system in Adampur, a system valued at $1.5 billion. In the cyber domain, Pakistani groups reportedly hacked several major Indian websites, including those of the BJP, Border Security Force [BSF], and various government entities, leaking sensitive data and compromising over 2,500 surveillance cameras.

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, in a statement to Geo News around 7 a.m., reiterated that Pakistan had acted defensively, emphasizing that restraint had run its course following repeated provocations. “Pakistan had no choice but to respond,” he said, blaming India’s aggression for forcing Islamabad’s hand and calling on New Delhi to reconsider its approach if it wanted to avoid further escalation.