India Declares Future Terror Attacks Will Be Treated as Acts of War

New Delhi: In a landmark shift in its national security doctrine, India has declared that any future act of terrorism targeting Indian interests will be treated as an "Act of War", with a decisive and proportionate military response, top government sources confirmed on Saturday. This policy transformation comes in the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians, mostly tourists, and amid a dramatic escalation of hostilities with Pakistan.

According to government sources, the decision reflects Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intent to firmly deter cross-border terrorism, especially those linked to Pakistan-based terror outfits. Terrorism will no longer be treated solely as a domestic security issue but as an external aggression triggering national defence mechanisms.
This declaration is aimed squarely at Pakistan, which has long been accused of harbouring and enabling terrorist groups that orchestrate attacks on Indian soil.

The announcement came after an emergency high-level meeting chaired by PM Modi, attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, NSA Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff, and the three armed forces chiefs. The meeting took place following Pakistan’s missile and drone attacks on 26 Indian military and civilian sites, prompting a swift and retaliatory Indian air campaign.

In the early hours of Saturday, India launched precision strikes on six Pakistani airbases, targeting military installations only. The airbases hit were:

• Murid Airbase (Chakwal)
   
• Rafiqui Airbase (Shorkot)
   
• Nur Khan/Chaklala Airbase (Rawalpindi)
   
• Rahim Yar Khan Airbase
   
• Sukkur/Bholari Airbase (Sindh)
   
• Chunian Airbase (Punjab)
   

Additionally, radar installations at Pasrur and Sialkot aviation base were destroyed using air-launched precision munitions, confirmed Colonel Sofiya Qureshi of the Indian Army during a joint briefing.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and senior defence officials, including Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, provided a detailed account of Pakistan’s provocations, which included high-speed missile strikes at 1:40 AM, drone incursions, and targeting of hospitals and schools at Srinagar, Awantipora, and Udhampur airbases.
“This irresponsible targeting of civilian infrastructure is a serious violation of international norms,” said Colonel Qureshi.

While the Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully neutralized most incoming threats, limited damage was reported at Udhampur, Pathankot, Adampur, Bhuj, and Bathinda. Nonetheless, Indian forces retaliated effectively and continue to remain in a high state of operational readiness.

India also categorically rejected Pakistan’s false claims regarding the destruction of India’s S-400 system, Sirsa and Suratgarh airfields, BrahMos facility at Nagrota, and artillery positions in Dehrangyari and Chandigarh.
“These fabricated narratives are part of Pakistan’s psychological warfare strategy,” said Wing Commander Singh, noting that the Indian government released timestamped images to disprove these allegations.

Indian intelligence has confirmed that Pakistan is moving troops into forward deployment zones, escalating tensions further. Intermittent heavy shelling and cross-border firing were reported across sectors in Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch, Rajouri, and Akhnoor.
Despite the provocations, India maintains that its actions remain measured and responsible, provided Pakistan refrains from further escalatory behaviour.

India’s declaration to treat any future terrorist act as an act of war signals a clear doctrinal shift in how the country will respond to security threats. It is a message not just to Pakistan, but to the international community and global institutions — that cross-border terrorism will now trigger full-spectrum national defence responses.

The name Kirana Hills has surged into headlines following India’s Operation Sindoor, a retaliatory military campaign launched in response to attacks from across the border. While India’s official briefings confirm that its strikes were aimed at terror camps and military infrastructure inside Pakistan, online speculation claimed that one of the targets may have included the high-security area of Kirana Hills, widely believed to house Pakistan’s nuclear warheads.

These claims have since been flatly denied by the Indian Air Force, but the sudden attention has raised widespread public and strategic interest in the secretive location nestled in Pakistan’s Sargodha district.

Located between Rabwah and Sargodha, Kirana Hills is a rocky mountainous terrain often referred to as the “Black Mountains” due to its brownish hue. The area falls under the control of Pakistan’s Ministry of Defence and is closely linked with the Mushaf Air Force Base, Pakistan Air Force’s Command Headquarters, and home to F-16 and JF-17 squadrons.

India’s Ministry of Defence has confirmed that Mushaf Airbase was one of several key targets during Operation Sindoor. But any direct hit on Kirana Hills, part of the Mushaf installation, has been firmly denied.

According to open-source military analysis, Kirana Hills contains over 10 underground tunnels, widely believed to serve as storage for nuclear munitions and M-11 ballistic missiles, reportedly supplied by China. The location’s proximity to the Sargodha Air Base (20 km) and Khushab nuclear complex (75 km) amplifies its strategic importance.

The hills were designated a defense zone in the 1970s by Pakistan’s Ministry of Defence. Since then, it has played a recurring role in Pakistan’s nuclear development timeline. According to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Kirana Hills was the site of subcritical nuclear testing between 1983 and 1990, playing a pivotal role in Islamabad’s efforts to join the nuclear club.

The site is also believed to house TEL (Transporter Erector Launcher) garages and underground munitions bunkers, with construction reportedly carried out by Pakistan’s Special Works Development (SWD) unit — a military agency known for engineering nuclear-related facilities.

This history, along with the site's heavily restricted access and security, has only intensified speculation in the wake of India’s cross-border operations.

The social media buzz began soon after India struck multiple Pakistani targets on May 7. Netizens, citing unverified sources, claimed that Kirana Hills had been targeted, and that India used loitering munitions and precision-guided weapons to strike possible underground nuclear storage.

At a press briefing on May 12, a journalist asked IAF Director General of Air Operations Air Marshal AK Bharti if the rumors about Kirana Hills were true. His response was blunt and unequivocal:

“We have not hit Kirana Hills, whatever is there. I did not brief in my briefing yesterday. Thank you for telling us that Kirana Hills houses some nuclear installation — we did not know about it.”
 

While India’s denial is clear, the very mention of the site at a high-level briefing has fueled public curiosity about this formerly obscure but highly strategic military zone.

In its official communication, the Indian Ministry of Defence stated that the IAF struck 11 military targets deep within Pakistan, including Rafiqui, Murid, Nur Khan, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, Chunian, Pasrur, and Sialkot. The strike on Nur Khan military base, near Rawalpindi — the symbolic heart of Pakistan’s military establishment — was particularly significant.

India has maintained that all targets were carefully chosen military installations, and that the strikes were retaliatory, following attacks by Pakistan using drones, missiles, and mortars on both Indian civilian and military areas.

The Indian Armed Forces also released high-resolution satellite images showing crater damage on several Pakistani airbases. Sources claim these images deeply unsettled Pakistan’s top brass and prompted appeals for a ceasefire.

While India has denied striking Kirana Hills, its very mention in the context of an active military operation has drawn strategic analysts and global observers to revisit its history and significance. Known for its nuclear links, underground facilities, and location near major military assets, the Kirana Hills now stands out as one of Pakistan’s most sensitive military zones — perhaps as significant as the Khushab nuclear complex or Kahuta Research Labs.

As tensions simmer and geopolitical rhetoric heightens, Kirana Hills may continue to be a symbolic flashpoint — a reminder of the fragile balance in South Asia’s nuclear neighborhood.

Conclusion:

India may not have struck Kirana Hills, but the recent chatter around it underscores its immense strategic value and the heightened sensitivity surrounding Pakistan’s nuclear infrastructure. As Operation Sindoor fades into military history, the Kirana Hills narrative will likely remain central to any future analysis of India-Pakistan military dynamics and nuclear deterrence in South Asia.

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