'India exercised its right to respond to terror': Govt on Operation Sindoor

The government on Wednesday said that "India exercised its right to self-defence" in reference to Operation Sindoor.

In a press conference, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that India has found conclusive evidence of Pakistan’s involvement in the recent Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives.

Misri said that the investigation into the Pahalgam incident has "revealed Pakistan's link to it", and expressed concern over Islamabad’s continued inaction against militant networks operating from its territory. "A group called the Resistance Front has claimed responsibility for Pahalgam attack. This group is connected with Lashkar-e Taiba. Pakistan links have been established in this attack."

He further added, "Pakistan did not do anything against terrorist infrastructure after the Pahalgam terror attack."

He warned that intelligence inputs point to the possibility of further threats. "Our intelligence agencies monitoring terrorist activities have indicated that there could be more attacks on India, and it was felt essential to both stop and tackle them," the foreign secretary said.

In response to the threat, India launched a counterterror operation earlier in the day. "India launched Operation Sindoor early on Wednesday morning in its right to self-defense against the Pahalgam terror attack," the foreign secretary said.

Criticising Pakistan's global track record, Misri added, "Pakistan has emerged as a safe haven for terrorists in the world. Banned international terrorists find it safe from being punished in this country. Pakistan is also known for deliberately misleading the world and international platforms."

Family members deliberately traumatised: Misri

"On April 22, Pakistan and Pakistani-trained terrorists belonging to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) carried out an attack on Indian tourists at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir area. They murdered 26 people, including one national of Nepal, causing the largest number of civilian casualties in a terrorist attack in India since the 2008 attack in Mumbai."

"The attack in Pahalgam was marked by extreme barbarity, with the victims, mostly killed by head shots from close range and in front of their families. Family members were deliberately traumatised by the manner of killing," he said.

The foreign secretary said that the motive behind the Pahalgam attack was to undermine the "normalcy returning to Jammu and Kashmir". "The manner of the attack was also driven by an objective of provoking communal discord, both in Jammu and Kashmir and in the rest of the nation," he said.

Operation Sindoor

In the early hours of Wednesday (May 7), the Indian armed forces conducted strikes on terrorist facilities located in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). These actions were in response to the April 22 terror attacks in Pahalgam, which resulted in the deaths of 26 civilians.

The Ministry of Defence issued a statement saying, “A little while ago, the Indian armed forces launched ‘Operation Sindoor’, hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed.” The statement further noted, “Altogether, nine sites have been targeted.”