Following the Pahalgam attack, India conveyed to many world capitals, including the US, that there should be no doubts about its punitive strikes against terror camps operating from Pakistani soil, government sources said on Sunday.

After the launch of Operation Sindoor on May 7, India communicated to various countries that its response to every Pakistani military action would be more forceful and decisive, they said.

Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi told US Vice President JD Vance on May 9 that Indian response will be "more forceful, stronger, devastating" in response to Pakistani actions, the sources said.

Vance dialled Modi as the military confrontation between the two neighbours was significantly escalating.

"In all our messages after April 22, we said we will hit the terrorists, there will be consequences. We were very, very clear from day one," said a source.

"They fire, we fire. They stop, we stop. This was our message," the source said.

The sources said Modi listened to Vance and then told him, "If the Pakistanis do anything, please be assured that they will get a response more forceful, stronger, more devastating than anything they do. They need to understand this." India's precision strikes using an array of weapon systems and missiles on eight key installations ranging from air defence systems to radar sites and command centres of the Pakistani military forced Islamabad to urge New Delhi to end the hostilities, the sources said.

The Indian strikes came in response to Pakistan's attempts to attack 26 Indian targets, including air force stations in Udhampur, Pathankot and Adampur, on the intervening night of May 9 and 10, they said.

The Indian armed forces launched a fierce counter-attack on several Pakistani military installations, including Rafiqui, Murid, Chaklala, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur and Chunian, on Saturday morning, the sources said.

Radar sites at Pasrur and Sialkot aviation base were also targeted using precision munitions, causing massive damage, they added.

Hours after the Indian strikes on Saturday, the Pakistani Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) reached out to his Indian counterpart to propose ending the hostilities.

Around two hours after the conversation between the two DGMOs, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced that India and Pakistan reached an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea with immediate effect.

The sources said the Pakistani side approached the US administration after India's massive military strikes on May 10.

In the midst of the escalating tensions, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio dialled Jaishankar and said Pakistan was willing to accept an off-ramp, the sources said.

They said the first contact between India and the US happened soon after the April 22 Pahalgam attack.

Modi was in Saudi Arabia and US President Donald Trump called the prime minister to convey his solidarity and support.

After the launch of Operation Sindoor, New Delhi told the US that it would only respond to Pakistan's military actions.

"The clear message that we gave to our interlocutors is that we cannot equate the victim and the perpetrator. This even-handedness is not going to be tolerated anymore," said a source.

Through Operation Sindoor, New Delhi wanted to send across the message to the terror groups that "no place is safe", and India's armed forces are capable of going deep into Pakistani territory in the mainland.

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