Sajid Raina
Srinagar, Dec 30: Forty-six terrorists were killed in 35 violent incidents across Jammu and Kashmir in 2025, while overall violence remained near a 25-year low.
According to the details, among the key operations, security forces eliminated the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack — Suleiman Shah alias Hashim Musa, Hamza Afghani and Zibran — in an encounter on July 28, 2025.
The most significant military action during the year was Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7, 2025, to avenge April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that left 25 tourists and a local guide dead. The attack was the deadliest attack on civilians in J&K since the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
Under Operation Sindoor, India carried out missile strikes on nine terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).
Officials said over 100 terrorists, including several high-value commanders, were killed in the strikes. Seven camps were destroyed by the Indian Army, while two were targeted by the Indian Air Force.
The operation was planned at the Military Operations Branch of the Indian Army and monitored from the Directorate General of Military Operations’ Ops Room, with the Chief of Defence Staff and the chiefs of all three services present.
Officials said the strikes were time-bound and aimed at preventing escalation while reinforcing deterrence.
Pakistan retaliated with heavy shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) from May 7 to May 10, particularly in Poonch district, killing at least 21 Indian civilians.
During the same period, Pakistan also attempted drone attacks on four consecutive nights.
Indian Army air defence units intercepted and neutralised all incoming drones, officials said.
Along the LoC, Indian forces destroyed more than a dozen terror launch pads using ground-based weapons, disrupting infiltration routes and logistics networks.
On May 10, the Director General of Military Operations of the Indian Army was approached by his Pakistani counterpart, following which an understanding was reached to halt firing and military action.
The Border Security Force reported that eight terrorists were killed while attempting to infiltrate across the LoC in four separate foiled bids.
It said infiltration attempts along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Kashmir Frontier have declined this year, with only four attempts reported so far. Of these, two occurred before Operation Sindoor and two afterward.
A total of 13 terrorists were involved in these attempts, of whom eight were neutralised by security forces and five were pushed back.
The Government has strengthened intelligence, inter-agency coordination, and border management, enhancing detection of infiltration attempts, neutralization of terror networks, and monitoring online radicalization, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai told the Lok Sabha during Winter session.
Measures include upgraded Multi-Agency Centres, AI-enabled analysis, improved CAPF and State police capabilities, advanced surveillance technologies, and forensic modernization projects, leading to reduced terror threats and better operational preparedness.
Security force casualties were also reported during the year. A soldier was killed in a gunfight with the terrorists in the Basantgarh area of Udhampur in April this year.
Two Army personnel lost their lives in an IED blast near the Line of Control (LoC) in the Akhnoor sector in February this year.
Additional casualties occurred during cross-border firing in May and in action along the LoC in Baramulla district in August 2025.
Further losses were reported in encounters across Kulgam, Kishtwar, Rajouri, and Kupwara.
Nowgam blast
On November 14, a powerful explosion inside Nowgam Police Station on the outskirts of Srinagar killed nine people and injured at least 32 others, unsettling the valley. The deaths were widely mourned across the region.
Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat said the blast was an accidental explosion.
The J&K government announced ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh for families of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh for the injured.
In December, the Lieutenant Governor provided government appointment letters to the victims’ families.
Officials said counter-terror operations and border management remained the focus through the year as security forces continued efforts to prevent infiltration and dismantle militant networks.
Home Minister Amit Shah, LG Sinha hail J&K Police
Union Home Minister Amit Shah hailed the J&K Police for their role in investigating the November 10, 2025, Red Fort blast in Delhi.
During the Anti-Terrorism Conference-2025 on December 26, Shah described the probe as a “masterclass” and an “outstanding instance of watertight investigation”.
He cited the investigations into both the Pahalgam attack (April 2025) and the Delhi blast as models that intelligence agencies worldwide would study.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha also praised Jammu and Kashmir Police for thwarting many terrorist incidents in the country by dismantling a pan-India ‘white-collar’ terror module.
Referring to the investigations carried out by J&K Police in Red Fort blast, LG Sinha said that by exposing the pan-India terror network, Jammu and Kashmir Police thwarted many terror incidents in the country and achieved a big success in its fight against terrorism.
