NEW DELHI: India has zero tolerance for terror and will not fall prey to nuclear blackmail, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his first address since the launch of Operation Sindoor.
In the televised address, he emphasised that India will only hold talks with Pakistan on the issues of terrorism and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK).
He termed Operation Sindoor as India’s new official policy against terror and informed that it has only been halted and not concluded.
India will monitor to see if Pakistan keeps his promise of halting terrorist attacks and military actions in future, the PM underlined.
“India will no longer see terrorist leaders and the governments sheltering them as separate entities,” PM asserted.
He said that it is not an era of war, but not an era of terrorism either.
“India’s position is very clear. Terror and talk cannot go together; terror and trade cannot go together. And water and blood also cannot flow together,” the PM said during his address, referring to the Indus Water Treaty abeyance.
PM Modi said that it was Pakistan, which moved for ceasefire, and India had only considered it since it had succeeded in dismantling the terror infrastructure in Pakistan.
"The terrorists dared to wipe the Sindoor from the foreheads of our sisters, that is why India destroyed the very headquarters of terror in Pakistan,” PM said.
He said that Operation Sindoor sent shockwaves through Pakistan, leaving their leadership in dismay.
"Instead of supporting India’s fight against terrorism, Pakistan retaliated by launching attacks on our religious sites, schools, civilian, and military establishments,” PM Modi added.
He said that the world watched as Pakistan missiles and drones were effortlessly neutralised by India’s advanced, robust defence systems.
“While Pakistan targeted India’s borders, India responded strategically, delivering a precise blow to their core infrastructure,” the Prime Minister asserted.
Cautioning Pakistan, the PM strongly said that the way Pakistan is encouraging terrorism will one day destroy the nation itself.
“If Pakistan wants to survive, it will have to destroy its terror infrastructure,” he stressed.
He added that India had given the armed forces full freedom to eliminate the terrorists and that locations like Bahawalpur and Muridke-based terrorists’ bases were destroyed as they were thriving as universities of terror.
“These locations were linked with major terror attacks in the world including 9/11 attacks of US, the London Tube bombings and decades of terrorists’ incidents in India,” PM said.
“Zero tolerance against terrorism is the guarantee of a better world,” PM remarked, repeating once again that India has suspended retaliatory action against Pakistan’s terrors and military installations.
Highlighting the use of ‘Shakti’ (power) for ‘shanti’ (peace), PM Modi said that India follows it; however, sometimes it has to use power for peace as well.
Confirming massive damages inflicted to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, PM said that India reduced terrorists’ strongholds to ruins, compelling Pakistan to assure that no terrorist activities or military actions would take place from their side.
“After careful consideration, we decided to temporarily suspend our operations against Pakistan’s terrors’ hubs and military establishments. However, we remain vigilant and will closely monitor their actions in the future also,” PM asserted.
PM Modi in his address also urged the nation to stay united in the fight against terrorism and saluted the armed forces, paramilitary, BSF, intelligence agencies, and citizens for standing together.
Issuing a warning against terrorist organisations, the PM said that all terrorist organisations now fully understand the consequence of attempting to harm the dignity of the nation’s women.
“The Operation Sindoor is not just a name but a reflection of the emotions of millions of Indians,” he said, adding that terrorists would have never imagined that India would make such a bold move after they committed terror attack in Pahalgam.
“When a nation stands united with ‘Nation First’ as its guiding principle, it takes firm decisions and achieves impactful results,” he said.
He made it clear that India will retaliate on its own terms, targeting terror hubs at their roots whenever any such attempt to target India is made.
