New Delhi: India on Wednesday said that it exercised its “right to respond and pre-empt as well as deter” more cross-border terror attacks by Pakistan-based terrorists, by launching strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and POK via Operation Sindoor.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, briefing the media hours after India launched the cross-border strikes in the wee hours of Wednesday, said the strikes on nine terror camps were ”measured, non-escalatory, proportionate, and responsible”.
“They focused on dismantling the terrorist infrastructure and disabling terrorists likely to be sent across to India,” he said.
The Foreign Secretary said that Indian Intelligence “monitoring of Pakistan-based terrorist modules indicated that further attacks against India were impending.
“There was thus a compulsion both to deter and to pre-empt.”
“Earlier this morning as you would be aware India exercised its right to respond and pre-empt as well as deter more such cross-border attacks. These actions were measured, non-escalatory, proportionate, and responsible."
He said that following the Pahalgam terror attacks, the Government of India “naturally responded with a set of initial measures relating to our engagement with Pakistan”, referring to the suspension of the Indus waters treaty, shutting the Attari land border, sending back all Pakistani nationals, cutting off all trade and other links, and downsizing the Pakistan High Commission here and its own in Islamabad.
“However, it was deemed essential that the perpetrators and planners of the 22nd April attack be brought to justice.
“Despite a fortnight having passed since the attacks, there has been no demonstrable step from Pakistan to take action against the terrorist infrastructure on its territory or on territory under its control.”
“Instead, all it has indulged in are denials and allegations,” the FS said, in reference to Pakistan’s allegation that the Pahalgam attack was a “false flag” operation, test firing two ballistic missiles, holding naval drills in the Arabian Sea and getting the OIC to rake up the Kashmir issue.
