The Lok Sabha has taken up special discussion on India’s strong, successful and decisive Operation Sindoor in response to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. Initiating the discussion, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that the government has given a strong message to Pakistan that terrorism and talks cannot go together. He said, in retaliation to cowardly attack on tourists in Pahalgam, the Indian Armed Forces gave a befitting reply to Pakistan and destroyed nine terrorist hideouts by killing more than 100 terrorists. He said, India’s response was non-escalatory and measured and launched with the intention of targeting terrorist’s infrastructure in Pakistan.
Lauding the bravery of the Armed Forces during the Operation Sindoor, the Defence Minister said, the country effectively countered Pakistan’s attack with its high-end Air Defence System like S-400, Akash Missile System. He stressed that none of the important assets of the Indian side was destroyed in the Pakistani attack. He also refuted the claims that the ceasefire announcement between Pakistan and India was made in any kind of pressure. Mr. Rajnath said, Pakistan’s DGMO contacted India’s DGMO and appealed to halt military operations. He added that a formal dialogue took place between the DGMOs of both countries on 12th May of this year, and both sides decided to pause military operations. The Defence Minister also issued a stern warning to Pakistan, stating that if any misadventure occurs from Pakistan’s side in the future, Operation Sindoor will be resumed.
Mr. Singh criticized Pakistan for supporting terror activities saying that it has made terrorism a tool of its foreign policy. He said, Pakistan has become a nursery for global terrorism and has made it the foundation of its state policy. He said, Pakistan’s army and ISI use terrorism as a proxy war and they dream about destabilizing India. He reiterated that India will go to any extent to counter terrorism under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Taking a dig on opposition, Mr. Singh said, few members of the Opposition have been asking how many of the country’s aircraft were shot down. He said, their question does not adequately represent national sentiments.
Intervening into the discussion, External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar said, it was important to send a clear, strong and resolute message after the Pahlgam attack. He said the government took the step to shape the global understanding of the Pahalgam attack and tried to bring Pakistan’s long use of cross border terrorism before the International community. He said it was the success of Indian diplomacy that ‘The Resistance Front’ which owned up to the Pahalgam attack, was designated as a global terrorist organisation by the US government. He said, only three nations apart from Pakistan opposed Operation Sindoor out of 193 members of the United Nations. He said, India’s message was clear that India is exercising its right to defend itself from terrorism. He stressed that no phone call took place between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump between 22nd April and 17th June of this year.
Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi raised questions over the security apparatus in Jammu and Kashmir saying that the government was unable to apprehend the terrorists who were responsible for the cowardly terrorist act in Pahalgam. He also questioned the government for the announcement of a ceasefire during Operation Sindoor. He said, Pakistan was given financial aid by the International Organization which shows the failure of Indian diplomacy.
Participating in the discussion, Ramashankar Rajbhar of Samajwadi Party also echoed the same view saying that the terrorists responsible for the Pahalgam terrorist attack are still absconding. He also questioned the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh questioned the opposition for not praising the bravery of armed forces. He said, several terror incidents happened during the UPA rule and 615 people lost their lives. BJP MP Baijayant Panda has criticised the previous congress governments for compromising India’s interests. He also questioned the Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, questioning the Indian Armed Forces capabilities and the country’s indigenous technologies. Shambhavi of Lok Janshakti Party (Ramvilas) said that the terrorist attack in Pahalgam was not only an attack on the citizens but also an attack on the entire humanity. She said, it is a New India which teaches appropriate lessons to the terrorists in their own language.
Other members including Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee, Lavu Sri Krishna of TDP and YS Avinash Reddy of YSRCP, Deepender Singh Hooda of Congress, Mian Altaf Ahmad of J&KNC, Tejasvi Surya of BJP, Supriya Sule of NCP (Sharad Pawar), Anurag Thakur of BJP and others also spoke on Operation Sindoor.
