"Could have done more, but exercised restraint": Rajnath Singh on Op Sindoor against Pakistan

New Delhi [India], May 29 (ANI): India could have inflicted more damage while retaliating to Pakistan's terror attacks with 'Operation Sindoor' but it exercised restraint, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday.

Addressing an event in the national capital. Singh said those residing in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) are India's own and one day, will surely return to the Indian mainstream.

Addressing the inaugural plenary of CII (Confederation of Indian Industry), Singh highlighted the success of Make in India campaign which proved to be important for both security and prosperity of India during 'Operation Sindoor'.

"Make in India is an essential component of India's National Security. If we did not have this capability, India's forces would not have been able to take such effective action against terrorism from lower Pakistan to PoK," the Defence Minister said.

"You saw how first we destroyed the terrorist hideouts and then the enemy's airbases. We could have done even more, but with power must also come restraint. We have presented a remarkable example before the world, of strength combined with coordination. We could have done more, but we exercised restraint. Today, Pakistan has realized the heavy cost of running the business of terrorism. We have redesigned and redefined India's stance against terrorism. We have recalibrated our engagements and scope of dialogue with Pakistan. From now on, whenever talks happen, they will only be about terrorism and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). There will be no discussion with Pakistan on any other issue," Singh said.

He said that the day is not far when the people of PoK will join India with self-respect and of their own will.

"The people of PoK are our own. They are part of our family. We are fully committed to the Prime Minister's vision of 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat'. We firmly believe that our brothers, who are today geographically and politically separated from us, will one day surely return to the Indian mainstream, with self-respect and of their own free will," Singh said.

"I know that most of the people there feel a connection with India. There are only a handful who have been misled. India has always believed in connecting hearts, and we believe that by walking the path of love, unity, and truth, the day is not far when our own PoK will return and declare: I am Indian, and I have come back," Rajnath Singh said.

Operation Sindoor was India's decisive military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. Launched on May 7, Operation Sindoor led to the death of over 100 terrorists affiliated with terror outfits like the Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen.

After the attack, Pakistan retaliated with cross-border shelling across the Line of Control and Jammu and Kashmir as well as attempted drone attacks along the border regions, following which India launched a coordinated attack and damaged radar infrastructure, communication centres, and airfields across 11 airbases in Pakistan.

After this, on May 10, an understanding of the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan was announced. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)