New Delhi: “It is proof that whenever India acts against terrorism, even the land across the border is not safe for terrorists & their masters,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Sunday said on Operation Sindoor. His statement came a day after both countries came to a mutual agreement to end armed hostilities across the LoC post India’s Operation Sindoor being launched Wednesday.
Singh was speaking virtually at the inauguration of the BrahMos Integration and Testing Facility in Lucknow.
He added that it was a bold demonstration of India’s resolve to combat terrorism, asserting that the cross-border strikes had sent a clear message to terrorist organisations and their backers.
The strikes, launched in response to the 22 April Pahalgam attack, targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Singh revealed. He added that the Armed Forces operated with precision to avoid civilian casualties, in contrast to Pakistan’s retaliatory actions, which targeted Indian civilian areas, including religious sites such as temples, gurudwaras, and churches.
“Our Armed Forces displayed valour & restraint and gave a befitting reply by attacking many military bases of Pakistan. Not only did we take action against military bases adjacent to the border, but the indignation of our Armed Forces reached even Rawalpindi, where the Pakistani military headquarters are located,” he said.
The defence minister also drew parallels with previous decisive military actions, such as the 2016 surgical strikes after the Uri attack and the 2019 air strikes following the Pulwama incident.
Singh concluded by affirming that Operation Sindoor served not only as a counter-terrorism measure but also as a message to the international community about India’s determination to protect its sovereignty and secure justice for the families affected by terrorism.
“The world has witnessed what India can do if terror attacks are carried out on its soil. Following the policy of zero tolerance against terrorism, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has made it clear that this ‘New India’ will take effective action against terrorism on both sides of the border,” he said.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)