Ambassador’s Remarks at the Special Press Briefing on Operation Sindoor
(Antananarivo, 15 May 2025)
Chief Editors and Representatives of the Media in Madagascar,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Namaste, Salama, Good Morning. At the outset, I would like to thank you all for joining today’s special press briefing on “Operation Sindoor (Vermillion)”, India’s limited and precise military action to destroy the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
2. As you are aware, a savage attack was carried out by Pakistani and Pakistan-trained terrorists belonging to Lashkar-e-Tayyiba on 22 April 2025 in Pahalgam in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in India. 26 tourists were brutally killed and 17 were injured in barbaric attack in which, male victims were chosen on the basis of their religion and brutally shot dead in front of their families. The attack was driven by the objective of provoking communal discord in India, especially in the wake of the successful holding of parliamentary and legislative elections in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It was also aimed at disrupting the steady economic development of Jammu and Kashmir, especially its booming tourism industry.
3. The reprehensible terrorist attack on innocent tourists has naturally generated deep anger in India and across the world. Several world leaders including the President of Madagascar have unequivocally condemned the terrorist attack and expressed their solidarity with India in the fight against terrorism. In its press statement of 25 April 2025, UN Security Council underlined the need to hold the perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of the terrorist act accountable and bring them to justice.
4. On 23 April 2025, the Government of India decided to undertake several measures such as the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, closure of the integrated border check post at Attari, withdrawal of defence attaches, reducing the strength of diplomatic mission in Pakistan. On the other hand, even after two weeks of the terrorist attack, instead of taking any demonstrable action on the terrorist infrastructure on its territory or on the territory under its control, Pakistan continued to indulge in denials and false allegations against India. Further, intelligence reports pointed to more impending terrorist attacks from Pakistan against India. Accordingly, in the early hours of 7 May 2025, India exercised its right to respond, defend and pre-empt cross-border terrorist attacks by dismantling the terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. It was a measured, non-escalatory, proportionate, and responsible action against 9 carefully selected terrorist locations in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir while avoiding its military and civilian infrastructure.
5. Over the next three days, Pakistan sided with the terrorists and undertook relentless provocative and escalatory actions to target several religious places, civilians and military infrastructure in India, even while keeping its airspace open to civilian aircrafts. Indian Armed Forces responded to these provocations in a proportionate, adequate and responsible manner and inflicted heavy damages to 11 military bases in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. As a result, on 10 May 2025, the Director General of Military Operations of Pakistan called his Indian counterpart and agreed to stop military actions on land and in the air and sea. Even after agreeing to cessation of military actions, Pakistan continued to send waves of drones into India in the night of 10 May 2025 and these were successfully intercepted by the ever vigilant Indian Armed Forces.
6. I would like to conclude by highlighting that “Operation Sindoor” is not only a limited military operation but also a vivid reflection of India’s unwavering commitment to justice in its fight against terrorism. It has set up a new normal by sending an unambiguous message to Pakistan that India will not tolerate its nuclear blackmail and any future terrorist attack from Pakistan will be met with a fitting, swift and proportionate response on India’s own terms and in India’s own way. Thank you.
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