Patna: In his first public address after Tuesday’s Pahalgam terror strike that left 26 tourists dead and several others injured, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that “India will identify, track and punish all terrorists and their backers.”
Modi was addressing a public meeting at Madhubani in Bihar on Thursday. He observed a two-minute silence before starting his speech and later switched from Hindi to English – something rather uncharacteristic of him – to make his views clear to a larger audience.
The PM said that the terrorists behind Tuesday’s killings and the conspirators will receive punishment beyond their imagination. The attack on innocent tourists on the peaceful meadows of Baisaran in Pahalgam was an attack on the soul of India, he said.
“Today, on the soil of Bihar, I say to the whole world, India will identify, trace and punish all terrorists and their backers. We will pursue them to the ends of the Earth. India’s spirit will never be broken by terrorism,” the Prime Minister said.
Assuring that India will make every effort to ensure justice to the innocent lives lost in the massacre, Modi added that the terrorists cannot imagine how stern that punishment will be.
“The entire nation is one in this resolve. Everyone who believes in humanity is with us…The punishment will be significant and stringent, which they (probably referring to Pakistan) would never even have thought of,” he said.
The Prime Minister’s Office also shared the PM’s message to the world from the “Soil of Bihar”.
The tourists killed in the terror strike were from several states across the country. The entire nation seethed in anger as images and videos of helpless family members crying for help after the brutal attack were shared on social media. Modi was on a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia when the attack took place and he cut short his visit, returning to India on Wednesday morning.
Immediately after that, he held meetings, following which diplomatic ties with Pakistan were downgraded, the Attari border was sealed and Pakistanis asked to leave the country within 48 hours. India also stayed its decision on the sharing of Indus waters, leaving several parts of Pakistan parched.
The country, however, expects more action on the ground, both against the terrorists and their backers, who are suspected to be in Pakistan. The government, at this moment, will have to act strong or look weak in the eyes of citizens. An all-party meeting, to be chaired by defence minister Rajnath Singh, has been convened in New Delhi on Thursday evening. Certain important announcements are expected after the meeting.
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