Operation Sindoor paused after forces met aims: Centre

Hindustan Times

4 days ago

Union defence minister Rajnath Singh told Parliament on Monday that India paused Operation Sindoor on May 10 after the armed forces achieved politico-military objectives and reiterated that there was no pressure to end the conflict, warning that if Pakistan indulged in 'fresh misadventure', the military action would resume. Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh speaks on Operation Sindoor in Lok Sabha during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Monday. (Sansad TV/ANI Video Grab)
In a 55-minute speech, Singh rejected claims that Operation Sindoor, which was a response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack, was stopped under pressure and called such allegations 'wrong and unfounded'. He was opening the much-anticipated debate in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
'Today's India thinks differently and acts differently. We believe that if the adversary uses terrorism as part of a strategy and does not understand the language of peace, then standing firm and being decisive is the only option. This new India can go to any extent to fight terror,' Singh said.
'Operation Sindoor was paused as the armed forces had achieved the desired politico-military objectives, and there was no pressure to end the conflict with Pakistan. If Pakistan indulges in fresh misadventure, it will resume again,' he added.
Singh said that even though 'the toll is much higher', according to an estimate, more than 100 terrorists, including their trainers and handlers of terror groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen, died.
Across 32 speakers, the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) hailed the strikes on nine terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir on May 7 and the four-day military exchange that followed, praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, and attacked opposition parties for posing questions.
The Opposition, which has 20 speakers, alleged that the military action was paused on May 10 under pressure, accused the government of lapses that led to the Pahalgam attack, and took on Modi over US President Donald Trump's claim that he negotiated the ceasefire using trade.
Singh said, 'Terror is a political toolkit for Pakistan', and lambasted the Opposition for seeking information on the number of aircraft downed. 'In every exam, results matter. We should not be bothered if a pencil is broken or if a pen gets lost. The result is that the targets of our armed forces were fully met,' Singh said amid thunderous applause.
Singh emphasised that India's political leadership will 'work without any pressure for safeguarding India'.
'Our missiles will go beyond the physical borders and our brave soldiers will break the enemy's spine when it comes to self-defence,' he said, hailing Operation Sindoor as an unmatched example of coordination between India's armed forces and reiterated Modi's position that talks and terror can't go side by side.
'Sometimes, our opposition leaders ask: how many fighters (got downed)? I think this does not reflect India's national emotion. The Opposition never asked how many enemy planes have been shot down by our forces,' Singh said, 'If they want to ask, their question should be did India demolish terror hideouts? Then the answer is a resounding yes. They should ask if Operation Sindoor is a success? The answer is yes. You should ask, the terrorists who wiped out our sisters' sindoor, did Operation Sindoor kill their masters? The answer is yes. Did our soldiers suffer? The answer is no.'
The discussion came after a week of disruptions marring the monsoon session.
Singh said the Opposition should not focus on smaller issues because it deviates attention from the country's security and honour of soldiers, and added that the Opposition never asked such questions related to military operations in the past.
He also described the full sequence of events starting from the Pahalgam attack – which he called a despicable act of inhumanity – to the ceasefire, which he said was proposed by Pakistan.
'Before launching Operation Sindoor, our armed forces studied every aspect of the situation. We had many options, but we chose the option in which the terrorists and their hideouts are inflicted with maximum damage and the common people of Pakistan don't suffer,' Singh told the Lok Sabha.
He hailed the operation as an 'unmatched example' of triservices coordination. 'When IAF attacked, our army took control of the land. Our navy had a strong presence in north Arabian Sea. The Navy gave a clear message to Pakistan: from the land and the sea, we are not only capable of hitting every important place, but we are also ready to do it.'
He said Operation Sindoor's politico-military objective was to punish Pakistan. 'That's why full freedom was given to armed forces. This operation was not to start a new war but to force the adversary to submit to the Indian armed forces. When IAF attacked the airfields, Pakistan accepted defeat and tried to stop further hostilities. They spoke to DGMO.
'We accepted with the caveat that theOperation has been paused. If there is another misadventure from Pakistan, this operation will restart,' Singh said.
Singh spoke about past efforts by Lal Bahadur Shastri, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Manmohan Singh and Modi for building peace with Pakistan. 'But if a country has no shred of democracy, only religious fanaticism and hatred against India, there can't be any talks with such a country. The language of terror fuels killings, fear and hatred, not discussion,' he said.
Singh said that Pakistan has made terror a part of its foreign policy and going by its policy and character, 'there should not be any illusion that Pakistan is a nursery of global terror. And they have made it as a part of its state policy,' Singh said.
Participating in the discussion external affairs minister S Jaishankar said that Operation Sindoor has created a 'new normal' for fighting cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan.
Before launching Operation Sindoor, Jaishankar said, India began 'shaping the global understanding' of the Pahalgam attack by highlighting to the world community Pakistan's long-standing use of cross-border terror, and how the attack was 'meant to target the economy of Jammu and Kashmir and to sow communal discord among the people of India'.
Union minister and JD(U) leader Rajiv Ranjan 'Lalan' Singh said India destroyed nine terrorist locations in Pakistan without damaging any civilian life and property during the military action in response to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam.
'Operation Sindoor's success was seen by the whole world, and they all lauded it,' Singh, whose JD(U) is part of the ruling National Democratic Alliance, said.