Dehradun: While the terrorists chose to verify the ‘Dharm’, or religion, of people before shooting them dead, India hit them back for their ‘Karm’, or deeds, defence minister Rajnath Singh said at an event in Dehradun on Tuesday.
“Terrorists killed people in Pahalgam after verifying their religion; we didn’t ask about their ‘Dharm’, but hit back because of their ‘Karm’,” Singh said in what was a strong message against those who want to propagate the theory that India’s fight against terrorism is related to religion.
His statement was in reference to the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22 that led to the death of 26 persons, mostly tourists from across the country. Survivors recounted how the terrorists actually verified religious identities before shooting non-Muslims men in the head from close range.
Footage from the scene of the massacre also showed several victims lying dead with the trousers pulled down. It came to light that the terrorists forced their victims to undress to check if they were circumcised, before killing them. This behaviour led to massive outrage.
India reacted to the terror strike after a fortnight, by carrying out precision strikes against nine established terror facilities in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) on May 7.
Pakistan retaliated by targeting civilian and military targets in India with missiles and drones over the next three days, but these attacks failed due to India’s strong air defence set-up. India finally dealt the decisive blow on May 10 by carrying out a devastating missile strike against Pakistan Air Force bases. Within hours, Pakistan sought a ceasefire. India agreed to cessation of firing, provided Pakistan did nothing to escalate the situation.
Talking about India’s defence strategy, Singh said that under PM Narendra Modi’s ‘bold and visionary’ leadership, India’s defence sector has transformed remarkably from a largely import-driven model to becoming a ‘trusted global exporter’.
“The world saw this change during Operation Sindoor,” Singh said, pointing to how India used indigenous equipment, such as the Brahmos and Akash missiles during the four-day conflict.
