Colombo, May 9 (IANS): Leading Sri Lankan newspapers in Colombo carried full-page advertisements on Saturday commemorating Operation Sindoor and paying tribute to the 26 innocent lives lost in the devastating Pahalgam terror attack of April 22, 2025, with the ads appearing across English, Sinhala, and Tamil editions of major dailies. The initiative was undertaken by members of the Indian community in Colombo, and the advertisements were shared widely by India’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha, on his official X handle, highlighting the commemorative outreach as a reflection of solidarity with the victims of terrorism and support for India’s anti-terror efforts. One advertisement carried on the front page of the Weekend Mirror read: “Operation Sindoor. Lest we forget the innocent blood spilled at Pahalgam. Tributes to our bravehearts who delivered justice. A lesson to the cowards that hide behind terror.” The campaign paid strong tribute to the Indian armed forces for carrying out Operation Sindoor on May 6 and 7, 2025, which involved precision strikes on nine high-value terrorist camps linked to outfits including Lashkar-e-Taiba in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, underscoring India’s zero-tolerance policy toward terrorism.
The Pahalgam attack, carried out by Pakistan-backed terrorists affiliated with The Resistance Front – an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba – was one of the most brutal terror strikes in recent memory, with attackers singling out victims based on religion, forcing them to recite the Islamic kalima to identify non-Muslims before shooting them at close range in front of their families. Among the 26 killed were 25 tourists and one local pony ride operator who died trying to save them, with several victims reported to have been newly married. In direct retaliation, India launched Operation Sindoor, described by officials as a focused, measured, and non-escalatory military action that successfully neutralised terrorist threats, deterred further aggression, and reinforced India’s strategic resolve. The Sri Lankan tribute initiative, coming in the aftermath of the operation, is being viewed as part of India’s broader diplomatic outreach aimed at reinforcing its global stand against terrorism and building international solidarity around its anti-terror efforts.