 "Each dish is named after a city or site that the Air Force targeted during Operation Sindoor.")
A dinner menu from the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) 93rd anniversary celebrations has sparked attention on social media, not for the cuisine, but for its amusing symbolic names. The viral menu, photographed and shared widely on Wednesday evening, showed that each dish was named after a target site or city hit by the IAF during Operation Sindoor.
This operation was a retaliatory strike launched on May 7 that targeted nine terrorist camps deep within Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following the major terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
What the trending IAF dinner menu tells us
Printed under the crest of the IAF, the menu reads:
93 Years of IAF
Infallible, Impervious and Precise
MENU
*
Rawalpindi Chicken Tikka Masala
Rafiqui Rhara Mutton
Bholari Paneer Methi Malai
Sukkur Sham Savera Kofta
Sargodha Dal Makhani
Jacobabad Mewa Pulao
Bahawalpur Naan
*
DESSERTS
Balakot Tiramisu
Muzaffarabad Kulfi Faluda
Muridke Meetha Pan
Each of the names – Rawalpindi, Balakot, Bahawalpur, Muzaffarabad, Muridke – is among the cities in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir that were targeted during Operation Sindoor.
Key sites hit in Operation Sindoor
The targets of Operation Sindoor, which the Indian Air Force (IAF) executed with precision strikes using advanced, Indian-made technology, included major terrorist strongholds.
The most important targets were:
Markaz Subhan Allah (Bahawalpur): The main headquarters for the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror group, where they planned attacks and carried out operations.
Markaz Taiba (Muridke): A huge, heavily guarded -acre compound belonging to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which was one of the toughest places to hit.
Markaz Abbas (Kotli): A large JeM camp used for training fighters and distributing weapons.
Syedna Bilal and Shawai Nalla camps (Muzaffarabad): Locations used by sleeper cells to sneak terrorists across the border.
Markaz Ahle Hadith (Barnala): A logistics center used by LeT for supplies and support.
Sarjal and Tehra Kalan (PoK): Camps where newly recruited terrorists stayed before being sent to infiltrate.
The entire operation was managed using the IAF’s high-tech control system (IACCS).
During the 93rd Air Force Day celebrations, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh proudly called Operation Sindoor a “moment of immense pride” for the country.
He celebrated the IAF’s history, starting from its beginning in 1932, by highlighting its bravery in several conflicts:
“In 1947, we safeguarded Kashmir. In 1965, we struck from the skies. In 1971, we contributed to the creation of a new country. In 1999, we displayed courage in Kargil. In 2019, we eliminated terrorists in Balakot. And this year, we achieved victory over the enemy in Operation Sindoor in just four days. The Indian Air Force has demonstrated capability and valour in every era, upholding the nation’s glory,” he said.