HUBBALLI: With Pakistan continuing its aggression against India, despite a ceasefire being declared between the two countries, the Centre has given a free hand to the Indian Armed Forces to effectively act against the neighbouring country, Union Minister for Food and Public Distribution Pralhad Joshi said on Sunday.
It is well known that Pakistan always follows a dual stance. Moreover, the fact that its military does not heed its elected civilian government has once again been proven, Joshi told the media here. “After the terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam on April 22, our government gave the armed forces full freedom to teach Pakistan a lesson.
Accordingly, the forces launched sharp retaliatory strikes, destroying a large number of terrorist infrastructure,” he said. On the very first day, the forces struck nine locations in Pakistan, with the intent to destroy terrorist hideouts. A significant number of terrorists were killed in these strikes. Many shelters have been busted, and key terrorists have been eliminated, he informed.
For the first time, the Centre has taken the harshest stance, pledging to completely root out terrorism from the country. Even before Pakistan’s ceasefire proposal, it had made the unprecedented decision to treat terrorism as an act of war, he said.
Further he informed that it was Pakistan’s DGMO who had called his Indian counterpart, urging a ceasefire. “But now they have violated it. Pakistan, which has always harboured terrorists and terror organisations, will get an answer from the Indian Army,” he said.
Separately, Joshi mentioned that after Narendra Modi became prime minister, there has been a drastic decline in terror incidents in the country. Earlier, even when large-scale terror attacks occurred, India used to respond mildly. “But for the first time, we have struck directly inside Pakistan,” he noted.
After the Pahalgam attack, for the first time, the entire nation is united in its fight against terror. In India’s retaliatory strikes, those involved in the Kandahar case and key terrorists, along with their some of their kin, have been eliminated. “India is a peace-loving nation, and Indians have always been peace-loving, and we never raise arms against anyone without reason. But if someone attacks us, we will not spare them,” Joshi warned.