Op Sindoor conducted to eliminate terror nests of Pak, paused not finished: Rajnath

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday rubbished reports that Operation Sindoor was suspended at the behest of international or national pressure, branding such statements as "baseless and incorrect".

- SIMONTINI BHATTACHARJEE

Initiating the discussion in the Lok Sabha on Operation Sindoor, he explained in detail that the operation was merely suspended, not finished, after meeting its complete military objectives.

"Operation Sindoor was conducted not to seize land, but to eliminate the terror nests fostered by Pakistan and provide justice to innocent Indians murdered in cross-border attacks," Singh said.

Reiterating the government's firm stance on national security, Singh cautioned that any new provocation by Pakistan would Elicit an even more "intense and decisive" response. He reaffirmed that India's military is on high alert and capable of reacting strongly to any additional threat.

"If Pakistan again attempts to undertake some sinister activity, we are fully geared for an even more intense and decisive action," he asserted.

Singh placed India's conflict with Pakistan as one that transcended issues of territorycharacterising it as a "conflict of civilisation versus barbarism." "Pakistan cannot beat India at conventional warfare, so it espouses terrorism in the guise of innocence before the international community," he stated.