Sending out a clear message to Pakistan, the Prime Minister said that India will respond if there is a terrorist attack in the country and that it will not see terrorist-supporting governments and terror masterminds as two separate entities.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday addressed the Lok Sabha during the special Operation Sindoor debate, where he presented “India’s side” before the House. He termed the Pahalgam terrorist attack as the “height of cruelty” and a well thought-out attempt to incite violence and spread riots in India.
“The cruel incident that happened in Pahalgam on 22nd April, the way terrorists shot innocent people after asking them about their religion, was the height of cruelty. This was a well-thought-out attempt to throw India into the fire of violence. This was a conspiracy to spread riots in India. Today I thank the countrymen that the country foiled that conspiracy with unity,” Modi said in the Lok Sabha.
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The Prime Minister stated that when the attack took place on April 22, he was abroad. However, he returned home immediately and called a meeting where he gave clear instructions that a befitting reply must be given to terrorism.
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“I was abroad on 22nd April. I returned immediately. And immediately after coming back, I called a meeting and we gave clear instructions that a befitting reply has to be given to terrorism and this is our national resolve. The army was given a free hand to act. And it was also said that the army should decide when, where, how and in what manner. All these things were clearly said in that meeting,” Modi said.
‘India will not see a terror-supporting government and terror masterminds as two separate entities’
Sending out a clear message to Pakistan, the Prime Minister said that India will respond if there is a terrorist attack in the country and that it will not see terrorist-supporting governments and terror masterminds as two separate entities.
“Operation Sindoor makes it clear that India has decided on 3 points. 1) If there is a terrorist attack on India, we will respond in our own method, on our conditions, and on our own time. 2) No nuclear blackmail would work now. 3) We will not see terrorist-supporting governments and terror masterminds as two separate entities,” the PM Modi.
‘Armed forces were given free hand’
Amid criticism over alleged political constraints during Operation Sindoor, PM Modi stressed the Armed Forces were given free hand. “They were told to decide the when, where, and how…We are proud that terrorists were punished, and it was such a punishment that the terrorist masterminds have sleepless nights even to this day,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, had accused the Modi government of lacking “100 percent political will” as well as failing to provide “freedom of operation” to the armed forces during Operation Sindoor.
“You went into Pakistan, and you told our pilots not to attack their air defence. It was bound that the aircraft would be downed. You tied the hands of our pilots…,” he alleged.
Hailing the Armed Forces for the successful operation, Modi said that the April 22 (Pahalgam attack) was avenged in 22 minutes.
“Right after the Pahalgam terrorist attack, Pakistan Forces had this idea that India would indeed take a major action. They started making nuclear threats. On the intervening night of 6-7 May, India took action just as decided. Pakistan could not do anything. Our armed forces avenged 22nd April within 22 minutes with precision attacks,” the PM said in the house.
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