Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday that when the Pakistani army attempted to attack civilians and military institutions in India, the Indian armed forces responded decisively by attacking their airbase, showcasing our lethal capabilities and proving their air defence system ineffective.
Delivering the Rustamji Memorial Lecture organised by the Border Security Force (BSF) on the occasion of its 22nd investiture ceremony, Shah said that Operation Sindoor is a remarkable demonstration of Prime Minister ’s firm political will, precise intelligence inputs from agencies, and the lethal capabilities of our forces. “For decades, our country has faced Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, and over the years, Pakistan carried out multiple terrorist attacks, but they were never adequately responded to,” he said.
“When Modi became the PM in 2014, the first major terrorist attack on our soldiers occurred in Uri, and for the first time, we conducted a surgical strike, penetrating the terrorist hideouts and giving a befitting response. We believed the response would put an end to the terror activities, but it did not, and another terrorist attack took place in Pulwama on our soldiers. This time, the Indian forces responded decisively with an airstrike, once again destroying terrorist bases,” he added.
Shah said the situation deteriorated further in Pahalgam, where Pakistan-sponsored terrorists brutally killed innocent tourists in front of their wives and families after questioning their religion. “At that time, PM Modi had declared that this terrorist attack would receive a fitting response, and Operation Sindoor was that appropriate response. Today, the entire world is praising the bravery and lethal capabilities of our armed forces. While responses to terrorist attacks have been given in many parts of the world, the response India has given is unique, and after the attack in Pahalgam, we launched Operation Sindoor and, within minutes, destroyed nine terrorist bases, two of which were headquarters of terrorist organisations,” he said.
He emphasised that the Indian forces initially neither attacked Pakistan’s military establishments nor their airbases, but only demolished the terrorist hideouts responsible for crimes on Indian soil. “We believed this would suffice, as our attack was solely against the terrorists. Pakistan proved that it sponsors terrorism by considering the attack on the terrorists as an attack on itself and dared to target our country’s civilians and military institutions. India’s air defence system is remarkable, and Pakistan’s attacks could not harm us,” he added.
“When the Pakistani army attempted to attack our civilians and military institutions, the Indian armed forces responded decisively by attacking their airbase, showcasing our lethal capabilities and proving their air defence system ineffective. Even during that time, we did not attack any civilian locations in Pakistan. Through Operation Sindoor, bonding between Pakistan and terrorism has been exposed to the entire world. When terrorist bases in Pakistan were attacked, the Pakistani army responded, and the world witnessed senior Pakistani army officers attending the funerals of the killed terrorists,” he said, adding that he also said that the border guarding force has proved its mettle during Operation Sindoor and did not allow nefarious Pakistani activities.
Shah said that what Pakistan had always denied has now been fully exposed to the world after Operation Sindoor, confirming that terrorism in India is Pakistan-sponsored. “Operation Sindoor was the most precise and successful response in the history of countering terrorist attacks on our soil. Today, experts worldwide are praising the bravery, lethal capabilities, and restraint of our soldiers,” he added.
“The entire nation is proud of our Army and BSF border guards. The BSF has demonstrated, by responding to bullets with bullets at the border, that as long as the BSF is present, the Pakistani army cannot advance even an inch. Operation Sindoor has also effectively showcased the success of self-reliant India in defence production. In the coming days, under the leadership of PM Modi, this campaign will gain further momentum, and we will move toward greater self-reliance,” he said, adding that during Operation Sindoor, BSF personnel Mohammad Imtiyaz Ahmad and Deepak Chingakham made the supreme sacrifice while protecting the motherland, and their names will forever be etched in golden letters in the history of the nation’s defence.
