India's response non-escalatory after Pahalgam terror attack: AAP MP Raghav Chadha
'Very recently, there was an unfortunate incident in Pahalgam. It becomes very important that we highlight that India's strategic autonomy is also reflected in the fact that in the aftermath of the most cowardly attack of Pahalgam, where 26 civilians were butchered, India did not go around town seeking consent to retaliate,' he added.
He was speaking at the 'Ideas for India Conference 2025' in London, United Kingdom.
New Delhi, May 30 (PTI) Calling Operation Sindoor a 'measured' and 'non-escalatory' response to the Pahalgam terror attack, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha on Friday said India's hand of friendship can transform into a 'fist of retribution' if someone indulges in misadventure, according to a video clip shared by him on his X handle.
India had carried out strikes on nine sites in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Pakistan, marking its deepest strikes inside Pakistan in decades in retaliation for a deadly terrorist attack on April 22.
Thereafter, Pakistan attempted to unleash drones and missiles at Indian military targets in more than a dozen cities and towns, many of them home to air force bases.
'India told its worthy partners in the world that, look, we are all for peace, but do not mistake our peacefulness for our weakness. While we extend the hand of friendship, but if you indulge in misadventures, then that hand of friendship can become the fist of retribution,' he said.
As a result, India responded in a 'non-escalatory', 'precise', 'measured', 'calculated' and 'swift' response where cross-border strikes were made and terror infrastructures across the border — not civilians, not military bases — were brought down, he shared.
'At a global stage — I say, Pakistan is not a victim state, it's a terror state. At the 'Ideas for India Conference 2025' in London, I called out Pakistan's decades-old terror machinery. Blood and water can't flow together.
'Lies and loans can't go together. Diplomacy and duplicity of Pakistan can't go together. Terror and Tolerance can't exist together. India seeks peace — but if provoked, retribution won't be an EXCEPTION, it will be an EXPECTATION,' he said.
Earlier this month, Chadha was also invited as a keynote speaker at the prestigious Asian Leadership Conference (ALC) 2025, held in Seoul, South Korea.
At the event, he strongly condemned the Pakistan-sponsored terrorist attack in Pahalgam on a global stage. He lauded the Indian Army's courage during Operation Sindoor and emphasised that India no longer merely expresses sorrow over acts of terrorism but now responds with precise and decisive military action. PTI SLB SLB KSS KSS
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
18 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Bengal: Political row erupts over the arrest of Sharmishta Panoli
Kolkata: A political row erupted in West Bengal on Sunday over the arrest of social media influencer Sharmishta Panoli by the Kolkata Police earlier this week for her alleged controversial post. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lashed out against the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the state alleging that the arrest of the 22-year-old law student was 'selective enforcement' and the Kolkata Police acted in 'uncharacteristic haste'. 'Sharmistha Panoli, just 22 years old, has been arrested and sent to 14-day judicial custody over a video she had already deleted and publicly apologised for on May 15. There have been no reports of communal unrest linked to her remarks, yet the Kolkata Police is acting with uncharacteristic haste. This is no longer about law and order — it is about selective enforcement,' Amit Malviya, BJP's IT cell head, wrote on X. She was arrested from Gurugram in Haryana by the Kolkata Police late on Friday night and was brought to Kolkata. She was produced before the court on Saturday. The court sent her to judicial custody till June 13. 'Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself has made far more divisive statements, which have had far-reaching consequences, including tragic loss of life and destruction of property on multiple occasions. Will the law be applied to her with the same urgency? India is watching. This isn't just a case in West Bengal — it reflects how a young Hindu woman is being targeted to appease a vote bank. Justice must not be politically convenient,' Malviya wrote. Geert Wilder, Dutch Parliament member and the leader of the right-wing Party for Freedom, also took to social media to extend his support to Panoli. 'Free the brave Sharmishta Panoli! It's a disgrace for the freedom of speech that she was arrested. Don't punish her for speaking the truth about Pakistan and Muhammad. Help her @narendramodi,' he wrote. Pawan Kalyan, deputy chief minister of Andhra Pradesh also slammed the TMC over the arrest while asking the police to act justly. 'During Operation Sindoor, Sharmistha, a law student, spoke out, her words regrettable and hurtful to some. She owned her mistake, deleted the video and apologized. The WB Police swiftly acted, taking action against Sharmistha. But what about the deep, searing pain inflicted upon millions when elected leaders, MPs of TMC, mock Sanatana Dharma? Where is the outrage when our faith is called 'Gandha Dharm'? Where is their apology? Where is their swift arrest?' Kalyan wrote on X. Panoli later deleted the post and issued a public apology, but by then, an FIR had already been filed in Kolkata. HT got in touch with at least three senior TMC leaders. None of them commented on the developments. The Kolkata Police however refuted allegations that Panoli was arrested unlawfully or the police acted in a haste. 'All legal procedures were duly adhered to. All attempts were made to serve notice, but she was found absconding on every occasion. Consequently, a warrant of arrest was issued by the competent court, following which she was apprehended lawfully from Gurgaon. She was thereafter produced before the appropriate magistrate and granted transit remand as per due process of law,' the Kolkata Police wrote on X
Hans India
20 minutes ago
- Hans India
Free Sharmistha, don't make West Bengal another North Korea: Kangana Ranaut
Joining other celebrities in supporting creator Sharmistha Panoli, Bollywood star Kangana Ranaut on Sunday said the former's arrest over a now-deleted social media post was 'unjustified' and amounted to a North Korea-type dictatorship. Kangana, known for essaying characters of strong women in her films, also expressed concerns over the damage caused to the influencer-cum-law student's career after her arrest by Kolkata Police. 'No girl or daughter should be subjected to such high-handedness,' said Ranaut while talking to the media on the sidelines of an event in Delhi. Targeting the Trinamool government in West Bengal, the National Award-winning actress and BJP MP from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, said, 'I request the government of West Bengal not to make the state another North Korea.' 'Every citizen has democratic rights…if she made an objectionable comment, she also apologised for it later. She seems to have made the comment in a general context. Youngsters today use such language in the normal course,' she said, putting up a strong case for Sharmistha's release. Earlier, actor-cum-politician and Andhra Pradesh's Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan showed solidarity with Sharmistha and asked West Bengal Police to act justly. Condemning the alleged double standards of the state police on matters related to religion, Kalyan said in a post on X, 'But what about the deep, searing pain inflicted upon millions when elected leaders, MPs of TMC, mock Sanatana Dharma? Where is the outrage when our faith is called 'Gandha Dharm'? Where is their apology? Where is their swift arrest?' 'Blasphemy must be condemned, always! Secularism isn't a shield for some and a sword for others. It must be a two-way street. West Bengal Police, the nation is watching. Act justly for all,' said the BJP MP Twenty-two-year-old Sharmistha was arrested on Saturday from Gurugram in Haryana, by Kolkata Police for posting videos containing communal remarks during Operation Sindoor. Sharmistha had later deleted the video and issued a public apology. The FIR filed against her at Garden Reach Police Station on May 15 includes charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for promoting enmity on religious grounds, deliberately outraging religious feelings, and provoking a breach of peace. After her arrest, the law student was produced in court, which sent her to 14-day judicial custody.
Mint
27 minutes ago
- Mint
Armed forces ‘united' by uniform' not divided by ‘religion': Delhi High Court
The armed forces comprise of personnel of allreligions and castes, they are 'united by their uniform' and undivided by their religion, the Delhi High Court made this comment recently while upholding the termination of a Christian Indian Army Officer who refused to participate in religious parades. The termination order makes it clear that officer, Samuel Kamalesan, was resolute in his decision of not attending religious parades citing personal religious beliefs, which was corroborated by his Commanding Officer, said a division bench of Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Shalinder Kaur. It also said that Kamalesan was terminated on the basis of his conduct and its impact on military discipline and unit cohesion, rather than solelyon the Annual Confidential Report (ACR) ratings. 'Our Armed Forces comprise of personnel of allreligions, castes, creeds, regions, and faiths, whose sole motto is to safeguard the country from external aggressions, and, therefore, they are united by their uniform rather than divided by their religion, caste,or region,' the Delhi High Court said in its order. 'The Commanding Officers are to lead by example and not by division; and by placing the cohesion of the Unit above individual religious preferences, particularly when commanding troops who they will lead in combat situations and war,' the Court said. Acknowledging the dedication of military personnel who guard India's borders day and night in adverse conditions, the court said the ethos of Indian armed forces places nation before self and certainly nation before religion. Kamalesan has filed a plea in the Delhi High Court, challenging his termination order and dismissal from the Indian Army without pension and gratuity. He has also sought reinstatement in service. Kamalesan was commissioned in the Indian Army in March 2017 in the rank of a Lieutenant in the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, which comprises of 3 squadrons of Sikh, Jat, and Rajput personnel. He was appointed as the Troop Leader of Squadron B which comprises of Sikh personnel.
