India was fully prepared for prolonged conflict with Pakistan last year: Rajnath Singh

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today (30 April) said India was fully prepared for a prolonged conflict with Pakistan in May last year in the wake of the terror attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir.

Addressing the national security summit in New Delhi, he said India executed the 72-hour military offensive against Pakistan under the codename "Operation Sindoor" "on its own terms and at a time of its own choosing, and halted it strictly on its own terms."

"During the course of the operation, we targeted, with absolute precision, only those who had perpetrated the attack against us. We did not halt the operation because our capabilities had been exhausted or diminished. We halted it entirely on our own terms," Singh said, adding, "we were fully prepared to sustain a prolonged conflict."

India, he said, possesses "the requisite surge capacity and the inherent strength to rapidly scale up its capabilities in moments of sudden crisis."

During that face-off, Singh said India "did not fall for the bluff of a nuclear strike threat and accomplished the set objectives."

"This is the new world order, the 'New India' of this new global era. This is an India which makes no distinction between terrorism and those who sponsor it," the defence minister said.

"Operation Sindoor conveyed an unequivocal global message that India is no longer bound by the old mindset of merely issuing diplomatic statements when terror attacks are perpetrated on its soil, and that the Narendra Modi-led government has moved beyond mere intent and rhetoric by demonstrating its unwavering commitment through decisive action," Singh said.

On Pakistan's "continuous support to terrorism," Rajnath Singh said, "Both India and Pakistan attained independence at the same time. However, today India is recognised globally for IT, ie, Information Technology, while Pakistan is regarded as the epicentre of a different IT, ie, 'International Terrorism'."