Operation Sindoor briefing: 'India's response proportionate, non-escalatory and responsible,' says Foreign Secretary
Written By Navashree Nandini
Published: May 07, 2025, 05:23 IST | Updated: May 07, 2025, 05:23 IST
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Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri briefed the people of the country on India's Operation Sindoor and said that the Pahalgam terror attack is the biggest attack on Indian civilians after the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008
Briefing the country on Operation Sindoor, women officers Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri have said that the Pahalgam terror attack is the biggest attack on Indian civilians after the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008. They said that the main reason for the attack was to hamper the tourism and development of Jammu and Kashmir. They also said that the attack was done to provoke religious riots in the country.
Naming 'The Resistance Front' (TRF), Misri said that Lashkar-E-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) used the group for terror activities in India. He also said that Pakistan has a history of shielding terror groups and terror outfits. He said that the Pakistani government has not taken any step in handling the terror groups but has resorted to blame game.
"Pakistan has emerged as safe haven for terrorists in the world. Banned international terrorists find it safe from being punished in this country. Pakistan is also known for deliberately misleading the world and international platforms...Despite a fortnight having passed, there has been no demonstrable step from Pakistan against terrorists' infrastructure in its area," Misri said.
Further, Misri highlighted that India exercised its right to respond under Operation Sindoor.
"Our intelligence indicated that further attacks against India are impending. Thus, compulsion, both to deter and prevent and hence earlier this morning, India exercised its right to respond to deter such more cross-border terrorism... Our actions were measured and non-escalatory, proportionate and responsible. They focused on dismantling terrorists' infrastructure," Misri added.
The Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor, carrying out a series of precision strikes targeting nine terror targets, including terror camps and launchpads, in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The Ministry of Defence confirmed the strikes early Wednesday, calling them a “focused, measured and non-escalatory” response to the recent attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, where terrorists brutally killed 26 civilians after identifying and segregating them.
Politicians across the spectrum have reacted to India's operation. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed national pride, with the slogan, "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar reiterated India's zero-tolerance stance against terrorism. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was watching and monitoring when the Indian Armed Forces launched "Operation Sindoor.
The Defence Ministry also said that no Pakistani military facilities were hit, "reflecting India’s calibrated and non-escalatory approach." "This operation underscores India’s resolve to hold perpetrators accountable while avoiding unnecessary provocation," the Defence Ministry statement added.
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A terror attack on April 22 in Baisaran Valley of Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam district killed 26 tourists. An offshoot of the banned Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) - The Resistance Front (TRF) - claimed responsibility for the attack. However, they retracted their statement on April 26, claiming that its social media was compromised.
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After the attack, India launched a series of actions against Pakistan. The Indian government put into abeyance the Indus Waters Treaty, expelled its diplomats, called back Indian officials from Islamabad, and closed the Attari border, its airspace for Pakistani flights and ships, parcels and imports from Pakistan. New Delhi has also blocked the Instagram accounts of several Pakistani cricketers and celebrities. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said, "I say to the whole world. India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers. We will pursue them to the ends of the earth." World leaders have urged both countries to exercise restraint but have also sided with India in its fight against terror.