On Thursday, Indian-American Republican leader Nikki Haley voiced her staunch belief that India had all the right to defend itself and retaliate in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack which claimed lives. She strongly felt that Pakistan should not be given the opportunity to project itself as the "victim" here.
The Indian armed forces launched Operation Sindoor as a counterattack against the attack that had resulted in the unfortunate loss of 26 innocent civilian lives in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Nine terror camps based in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir were struck by India in the operation under missiles and drones.
Haley commented on X, "Terrorists attacked and killed dozens of Indian citizens. India was well within its rights to respond and defend itself. Pakistan does not get to be the victim. No nation gets a free pass for condoning terrorist activity."
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri spoke to the press in New Delhi, labeling the Indian military's response as "measured, non-escalatory, proportionate, and responsible." He stated that the strikes were intended to destroy terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan, avoiding further terrorist activities and discouraging future attacks.
In a crowded press conference, Misri highlighted the significance of holding the attackers and planners of the April 22 attack accountable. He noted that Islamabad made no serious attempt to dismantle the terrorist networks based on its territory or in the areas it occupies.
Haley, who was a Governor of South Carolina and a U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations for Donald Trump's first term in office, also weighed in on U.S. foreign policy. During her announcement for the presidential campaign in 2023, she indicated explicitly that if elected, the U.S. would not be spending hundreds of millions of dollars to aid nations like Pakistan.
She wrote, "A weak America pays the bad guys: Hundreds of millions to Pakistan, Iraq, and Zimbabwe last year alone. A strong America won't be the world's ATM." In an op-ed for the New York Post, Haley had defended President Trump's move to withhold almost USD 2 billion worth of military aid to Pakistan, condemning the nation for hosting terrorists who have killed American troops.
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