This is new India. Operation Sindoor delivers justice to 26 families that faced Pahalgam terror

The Print

07-05-2025

Terrorism is often the mode adopted by failed states and organisations to blackmail other nations. It is certainly the go–to strategy for the cowardly, failed state of Pakistan. Even as Islamic countries are modernising and working to improve the lot of their people, Pakistan is held hostage by its past. It is also obvious that this form of Pakistani blackmail has some takers in India—a section of the media and some parties invested in appeasement politics did trot out to justify this attack. Sonia Gandhi did something similar during the Batla House encounter , as did Digvijay Singh.
This attack, brutal and inhuman even by Pakistan's standards, was obviously a plan for the country's discredited army, and particularly its army chief, to get some attention and support. General Asim Munir's incendiary speech leading up to the attack indicated this.
Twenty-six innocent Indian men visiting Pahalgam with their families were brutally killed on 22 April in front of their families—after being asked about their religion.
Operation Sindoor, the strike India launched against nine terror hubs in Pakistan, was precise and sharp. It is also in line with India's rapidly increasing capabilities of striking enemies deep and precisely. The name is especially befitting—it has avenged the tears of the women who lost their husbands in Pahalgam. The strike has delivered justice to the 26 affected families.
Also read: Operation Sindoor aimed at hands that wield the gun, not brains that control the hand
Lessons from history
My first response is, of course, saluting our bravehearts, the men and women in uniform. Those warriors in fighter aircraft, on the borders, in command control centres, and in intelligence have demonstrated what makes India different, and what makes the Indian Armed Forces so lethal. As the saying goes, 'To forgive terrorists is up to god, but to send terrorists up to god is the Army's job.'
India's response has been along expected lines: precise and surgical. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Indian Army has multi–dimensional capabilities, across air, land, sea, and space. Our enemies can never be sure about our response. At a time when India has risen to be the world's 4th largest economy, forces out there seek to undermine its continuing rise and growth, especially in its immediate neighbourhood. The only guarantor of a Viksit Bharat is a Surakshit Bharat or a secure and strong India. To that end, India's security and intelligence modernisation are important components of its growth strategy.
While this is not the time for politics, lessons must be learned from history. The sharp contrast in India's response to 26/11 and the terror attacks during the Modi government, at Pulwama and Pahalgam, is clear. And Operation Sindoor is certainly not the last word on Pakistan's terror. Every well–meaning Indian—Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi, and Muslim—stands united in the nation's fight against this evil.
This is the new India. We believe in peace and development, but will confront evil in every form with necessary force. Have no doubt: Pakistani terror will be defeated.
Rajeev Chandrasekhar is a former Union minister and tech entrepreneur. Views are personal.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)