Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen. Asim Munir on Monday said no hostile designs can undermine the determination of Pakistan’s armed Forces, as the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced the successful completion of Operation Bunyanum Marsoos.
In a statement, the military’s media wing said the army chief had visited the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Rawalpindi to inquire about the well-being of soldiers and civilians injured during the Indian attacks and Pakistan’s retaliatory measures.
Emphasizing that no hostile design can erode the resolve of the armed forces, he said the “valor and sacrifice” of both civilians and soldiers was the cornerstone of Pakistan’s security. “The entire nation stands united in solidarity with every member of its armed forces,” he said.
Gen. Munir said the resolute and unified response exhibited during the operation, “in concert with the steadfast support of the Pakistani people, constitutes a defining chapter in the country’s military history.”
During his visit to CMH, the Army chief individually met injured personnel, lauded their exceptional bravery and steadfast devotion to duty, and reaffirmed the unwavering commitment of Pakistan’s armed forces to their continued care, rehabilitation, and welfare.
Successful end
The ISPR said the successful conclusion of Operation Bunyanum Marsoos, conducted on May 10, had also seen the victorious end of military conflict Marka-e-Haq in response to India’s attacks on May 6-7. Through this operation, it said, the armed forces delivered on the promise made to the people of Pakistan.
Thanking Allah for infinite blessings, mercy, help, and divine support, the military statement noted that believers are ordained to retaliate whenever they are wronged. Expressing sympathies for the families of shuhada who sacrificed their lives for the country, the ISPR also prayed for the quick recovery of all injured countrymen and thanked every officer, soldier, airman, and sailor who made this success possible.
The ISPR also expressed the armed forces’ appreciation and gratitude to the brave Pakistani nation for its unwavering moral strength, resolve, and wholehearted support and prayers, specifically referring to the youth for their efforts as “frontline soldiers as the cyber and information warriors of the country.” Similarly, it thanked the media for countering the Indian media’s “disinformation blitz and reckless warmongering,” and the diplomatic corps for effectively representing Pakistan’s just case on international fora.
Gratitude was also extended to scientists and engineers for developing indigenous and specialized niche technologies instrumental in the success of Operation Bunyanum Marsoos and the political leadership of all political parties for their show of unified resolve in support for the defense of the motherland. “The armed forces are specifically grateful to the inspiring leadership of the Prime Minister of Pakistan and his cabinet ministers for taking destiny-altering decisions for the country and steering it through this critical situation,” it added.
On the operation, the military’s media wing recalled that India had launched standoff missiles on civilian infrastructure and places of worship on the night of May 6/7, targeting innocent civilians including women and children. It said the Pakistan Air Force and Ground Based Air Defense Systems had prevented any Indian aircraft from entering Pakistan’s airspace, downing with 5 Indian fighter aircraft including 3 Rafaels, 1 SU-30 and 1 Mig 29, as well as one Heron Unmanned Aerial System. The Air Force suffered no losses during this battle, it said.
On Pakistan’s retaliatory response of May 9/10, Operation Bunyanum Marsoos, the ISPR described it as “a textbook demonstration of integrated tri-services jointness, enabled by real-time situational awareness, network-centric warfare capabilities, and seamless multi-domain operations.”
The ISPR said precision-guided long-range Fatah series missiles F1 and F2 of Pakistan Army; precision munitions of PAF; highly capable long-range loitering killer munitions; and precision long-range artillery were used against 26 military targets and facilities used to target Pakistani citizens and foment terrorism in Pakistan in India-held Kashmir and mainland India.
“The targets included Air Force and Aviation bases at Suratgarh, Sirsa, Bhuj, Naliya, Adampur, Bhatinda, Barnala, Halwara, Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Udhampur, Mamun, Ambala, and Pathankot, all of which sustained major damages,” it said, adding BrahMos storage facilities at Beas and Nagrota were also destroyed. “S-400 battery systems at Adampur and Bhuj were also attacked and effectively neutralized by Pakistan Air Force,” it said.
“Military logistics and support sites, which helped sustain this unlawful operation against innocent Pakistani civilians—like Field Supply Depot at Uri and Radar Station at Poonch—were also targeted,” it said, adding Military Command Headquarters used to plan the operational killing of innocent citizens such as 10 Bde and 80 Bde at KG Top and Naushera were completely destroyed.
“Facilities which harbored, trained, and capacitated proxy elements that perpetrated terrorist attacks inside Pakistan and killed innocent civilians were specifically identified and destroyed,” it said, adding these included Rajauri and Naushera. It said military elements that had caused civilian casualties in Pakistan-administered Kashmir were targeted and heavily-damaged.
In response to India using drones to violate Pakistani airspace to intimidate civilians, Operation Bunyanum Marsoos utilized dozens of Pakistani armed drones above major Indian cities and sensitive political and government facilities “to clearly manifest our lethal long-range unmanned capability, indicating the futility of the use of this domain in warfare.”
The ISPR said comprehensive and effective cyber operations were used to temporarily cripple and degrade critical infrastructure and services used by Indian Armed Forces to sustain their operations. It stressed that the armed forces used only a “limited number and type” of technologies in this conflict.
“Despite all this, compared to Indian relentless provocations, Pakistan’s military response has been precise, proportionate, and still remarkably restrained,” it said, maintaining it was “carefully calibrated” to avoid civilian casualties.
The ISPR further said Pakistan also sustained an “abnormal and immediate spike” in India-sponsored terrorism across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan while its armed forces were busy in operations on the eastern front. “This further vindicates that India is directly involved in fomenting terrorism in Pakistan, and its proxies were fully operationalized during this time to distract our attention,” it said, emphasizing counter-terrorism operations continued without any pause.
“Marka-e-Haq has been a great example of the synergy between all elements of national power, with overwhelming support of the Pakistani public, to effectively counter the threat to our national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” it said. “No one should doubt that whenever Pakistan’s sovereignty is threatened and territorial integrity violated, the retributive response will be comprehensive and decisive. Pakistan Armed Forces thank and salute the Pakistani nation for its courage, resilience, and fervor during this conflict,” it added.
Casualties
The ISPR also updated the total number of casualties from the Indian attacks. It said a total of 51 people, comprising 11 personnel of the armed forces and 40 civilians, were martyred in Indian strikes. Among the civilians were 7 women and 15 children, it said, adding 121 others sustained injuries, including 10 women and 27 children.
Apart from the 11 personnel of the Pakistan armed forces who embraced martyrdom, it said, 78 others were wounded while defending the motherland with exemplary valor.
ISPR also released the name of the martyred personnel: Pakistan Army’s Naik Abdul Rehman, Lance Naik Dilawar Khan, Lance Naik Ikramullah, Naik Waqar Khalid, Sepoy Muhammad Adeel Akbar, Sepoy Nisar; Pakistan Air Force’s Squadron Leader Usman Yousuf, Chief Technician Aurangzeb, Senior Technician Najeeb, Corporal Technician Farooq, Senior Technician Mubashir.