Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a firm statement on Monday, underlining that nuclear blackmail would not deter India's resolve to fight terrorism at its root, wherever it exists around the globe.
His statement came in the wake of 'Operation Sindoor', delivering a strong message to the international community.
In his initial speech to the nation after the ceasefire agreement with Pakistan and the conduct of Operation Sindoor, PM Modi had stated the new strategy in India's three-pronged anti-terror policy. He pointed out that the military action against Pakistan's terror camps was a big change in India's anti-terror response.
The new policy includes India's firm determination to pursue terrorists across the globe and take measures firmly against any threats aimed at its citizens. "The second part of this new approach," PM Modi continued, "is that India will not let any country hosting terrorists use nuclear blackmail to escape retaliation following a terror attack."
PM Modi also announced that any government-sponsored terrorist operatives would now be dealt with on an equal footing as the masterminds of terror activities. Reinforcing India's strong stand on terrorism, the Prime Minister announced that the age of terror was over, just as the age of war had gone.
In a special video address to the nation at 8 p.m. on Monday, PM Modi issued a strong warning to Pakistan: "Terror and talk, terror and trade, and water and blood cannot flow together. Talks with Pakistan will only be about terror and Kashmir." He also praised the Indian military forces, noting that the government would take tough actions as it has a "Nation First" policy.
PM Modi cautioned that Pakistan would be destroyed by its own terrorism infrastructure, declaring: "We hit terror dens in the middle of that country and also blasted its defense bases after it attacked us, rather than cooperating with us in the war against terror that killed 100 terrorists."
Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister called a high-level meeting with top government officials such as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval. The meeting was called to take stock of the success achieved through Operation Sindoor, in which Indian security forces successfully eliminated 100 terrorists. It was conducted in the Prime Minister's residence in the national capital, where Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, and the chiefs of the three forces – General Upendra Dwivedi, Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi, and Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh – attended.
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