Operation Sindoor, launched by India on May 7, 2025, was a military retaliatory campaign in response to the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, 2025, which killed 26 innocent people. The operation targeted terrorist infrastructure within Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir with precision strikes on multiple military and terror-related sites.

Pakistan has reportedly suffered heavy casualties during this operation, with various credible sources suggesting significant military personnel losses. Official Pakistani acknowledgment confirmed at least 13 military personnel killed, but multiple independent and local reports indicate the death toll to be much higher—potentially reaching around 150 to 155 soldiers.

This estimate emerges from leaked and deleted Pakistani media reports, including a brief, now-removed Samaa TV article that listed gallantry awards conferred posthumously to at least 138 soldiers, all denoted as "Shaheed" (Martyrs). These awards included high-level military honours such as Tamgha-e-Jurat, Sitara-e-Basalat, and Tamgha-e-Basalat, underscoring the severe impact of the operation on the Pakistan military.

Additional sources reveal that Pakistan suffered casualties not only in terms of personnel but also sustained damage to several key airbases and military infrastructure including Bholari, Nur Khan, Sargodha, Jacobabad, Rafiqui, and Shorkot. This damage was inflicted by coordinated airstrikes and artillery, validated by reports from both Indian and Pakistani sides, with Indian officials emphasizing the operation’s aim to destroy terror infrastructure rather than count casualties.

Despite Pakistan's attempt to understate the losses publicly, the awarding of gallantry medals to a significant number of dead soldiers inadvertently exposed the scale of their military setbacks. This operation has been described as one of the heaviest blows to Pakistan’s armed forces in recent decades, sparking comparisons to the Kargil War in terms of casualty concealment.

Pakistan may have lost around 150 to 155 military personnel during Operation Sindoor, a conflict marked by high-intensity precision strikes by India aimed at dismantling terror networks and their military support within Pakistan's borders. This toll reflects a grave cost for Pakistan's defence forces, highlighting the operation's strategic and tactical impact on regional security dynamics.

IDN (With Agency Inputs)