'Annihilate Pakistan, wipe out terrorism', Gujarat victims' family hail Operation Sindoor
RAJKOT/SURAT: "Annihilate Pakistan and wipe out terrorism," declared the families of three Gujarat victims of the
Pahalgam terror attack
. Their voices were heavy with grief, yet laced with a sense of justice over
Operation Sindoor
, India's reprisal to Pakistan over the dastardly April 22 strike.
Yatish Parmar, aged 46, and his 17-year-old son from Bhavnagar, along with Surat banker Shailesh Kalathiya, were among the 26 tourists killed in the Baisaran valley carnage.
Kajal Parmar, Yatish's widow, said, "We salute the armed forces and urge the govt to be unsparing against Pakistan till Pakistan is wiped out."
Talking to the media, Kajal said, "I am very proud of the air strike carried out on Pakistan. I am grateful to
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
and very happy today.
Operation Sindoor
Operation Sindoor: 'India won't give face-saving exit to Pak army chief Asim Munir'
IPL 2025: BCCI suspends league for one week amid India-Pakistan tensions
India-Pakistan tensions: What's closed, emergency protocols & more
Keep carrying out such attacks and wipe out Pakistan, this is my prayer to Modi Saheb."
"My son was in Class 12. He used to tell me frequently that he wanted to join the Indian Army and fight for the country. But before that, we went to Kashmir to attend Morari Bapu's 'Ram Katha' and visit Pahalgam, where they (terrorists) killed my son and husband. I want to see Pakistan destroyed completely," she added.
"I have seen my son lying in a pool of blood and my husband lying beside him with a bullet shot in his head.
I pray that no one ever falls victim to such a gruesome terror attack," she said.
Kajal added, "Barely five minutes after we entered the Baisaran valley, there was firing in the air. My uncle screamed, asking everyone to run for cover. I had just reached the entrance gate and someone told us all to lie down on the ground. But after some time, when I approached my husband and son, both were dead."
"We are satisfied with India's response but terrorism should be decimated," she said.
Kajal's elder son, Abhishek, added, "PM Modi took decisive action against Pakistan. I lost my father and my brother, who wanted to join the army. Now Modi has given them a befitting reply," he said.
Yatish, a barbering salon owner, went to Kashmir with Kajal and Smit, accompanied by her brother, his wife, and their son Sarthak Nathani. Kajal survived the attack, thanks to Sarthak's, aged 17, presence of mind. "It was over in five minutes.
I saw it with my own eyes... they asked our religion before opening fire. Had it not been for my nephew, I wouldn't be alive today."
In Surat, Sheetal, wife of Surat banker Shailesh, told the media that she was 'very satisfied' with India's action. "I am very happy with whatever the Modi govt has done to bring to justice the people who shot my husband and others in the name of religion. We have full faith in the govt that it will do whatever is right in the future as well."
She said her daughter Niti is yet to recover from the trauma of seeing her father being killed in front of her eyes.
"We were devastated. We appeal to the Gujarat govt to do whatever it can for the future and education of our children."
Kalakhiya, who worked in the Kandivali, Mumbai, branch of SBI, went to Kashmir with Sheetal, daughter Niti, and son Naksh. Kalakhiya was to celebrate his birthday on April 23.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
29 minutes ago
- Hans India
11 Years Of NDA Rule: India's infra boom driving ‘Ease of Living', says Modi
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said it has been 11 years of infrastructure revolution and asserted that India's rapidly expanding infrastructure network is boosting 'Ease of Living' and enhancing prosperity. "It's been #11YearsOfInfraRevolution, with outstanding infrastructure being added that has enhanced India's growth trajectory," Modi said on X. From railways to highways, ports to airports, India's rapidly expanding infrastructure network is boosting 'Ease of Living' and enhancing prosperity, the PM said. Modi shared a thread from a government's citizen engagement platform that highlighted new India's infrastructure development over the last 11 years. "Smart Cities. Safer Roads. Smoother Commutes- #NewIndia's Infrastructure Promise. India's infrastructure is racing into the future under PM @narendramodi's leadership," the post on the MyGovIndia read. "It's a journey where steel and spirit merge, and each milestone carries the hopes of a billion. Highways that shorten distances, bridges that unite communities, and digital networks that spark innovation - India is building more than infrastructure. It's building confidence, connectivity and a beautiful canvas for every Indian dream," it said. The thread highlighted that the momentum shift isn't just about progress - it's about a promise to uplift every citizen and transform India's future. In another post, Modi said, "India's push for next-gen infrastructure is powered by sustainability and long term vision." It is laying the foundations of a self-reliant India, he said.
Hindustan Times
34 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Precision weapons altered the relationship between distance and vulnerability: Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit
Precision weapons, such as ones used by India against Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, have rendered geographical barriers 'almost meaningless' and 'altered the relationship between distance and vulnerability,' a top Indian Air Force officer said on Wednesday. 'Today, precision-guided munitions like Scalp and BrahMos (missiles) have rendered geographical barriers almost meaningless as strikes with beyond visual range air-to-air missiles and supersonic air-to-ground missiles have become commonplace,' Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, chief of integrated defence staff, said at a seminar on surveillance and electro-optics. 'The lessons from Operation Sindoor have reinforced what military strategists have long understood but perhaps not fully appreciated until now. Modern warfare --- thanks to technology --- has fundamentally altered the relationship between distance and vulnerability.' Earlier, the horizon marked the limit of immediate threat, he said. The launch of Operation Sindoor in the early hours of May 7 --- India's strikes on terror and military installations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) following the Pahalgam terror strike in which 26 people were shot dead --- triggered a four-day military confrontation with the neighbouring country involving fighter jets, missiles, drones, long-range weapons and heavy artillery. The standoff weapons deployed by India during the operation included the Scalp deep-strike cruise missiles, the Hammer smart weapon and BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles. 'When weapons can strike targets hundreds of kilometres away with pinpoint accuracy, the traditional concepts of front, rear and flanks, combat zones, and depth areas all become irrelevant. What we call the front and the theatre merge into one. This new reality demands that we extend our surveillance envelope far beyond what previous generations could have even imagined,'Dixit said. The domain of surveillance and electro-optics systems was earlier a force enhancer but has now become the foundation on which modern military operations will take place, he added. 'Today we stand on the cusp of a revolution that will redefine how we perceive, process and project power in the 21st century. When we look at global conflicts commencing from Armenia-Azerbaijan to Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas, and to our own experiences in Operation Sindoor; one truth emerges with crystal clarity --- the side that sees first, sees farthest and sees most accurately, prevails.' Between the launch of the operation in the early hours of May 7 and the ceasefire on the evening of May 10, Indian forces bombed nine terror camps in Pakistan and PoK and killed at least 100 terrorists, and the IAF struck targets at 13 Pakistani air bases and military installations. In the early hours of May 7, the IAF struck two terror sites at Markaz Subhanallah in Bahawalpur and Markaz Taiba near Muridke, both in Pakistan's Punjab province, while the army hit targets at seven places, including Mehmoona Joya in Sialkot, Sawai Nala and Syed Na Bilal in Muzaffarabad, Gulpur and Abbas in Kotli, Barnala in Bhimber, and Sarjal. The Markaz Subhanallah camp was the farthest target for Indian forces. Located around 100 km from the international border, it is the headquarters of the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and has been used for recruitment, indoctrinating and training terrorists. Markaz Taiba is the headquarters of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founded by Hafiz Saeed. Terrorists trained at this camp were linked to many attacks in India, including the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Ajmal Kasab, the only terrorist captured alive at the time, received training here and so did David Coleman Headley. It is located 25 km inside Pakistan. During May 9-10, the IAF struck military targets in Rafiqui, Murid, Chaklala, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, Chunian, Pasrur, Sialkot, Skardu, Sargodha, Jacobabad, Bholari and Malir Cantt in Karachi. Later it emerged that India's targeting of locations within Pakistan during the May 7-10 clash was more extensive than was previously known, with a Pakistani document acknowledging that Indian drones had struck locations ranging from Peshawar in the northwest to Hyderabad in the south. The graphics in the May 18 Pakistani document detailing India's drone strikes on May 8, 9 and 10 listed seven locations -- Peshawar in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, Attock, Bahawalnagar, Gujrat and Jhang in Punjab province, and Chhor and Hyderabad in Sindh province -- that were not acknowledged as targets by Indian officials at any briefings held during or after the hostilities. Pakistan's Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos, which was mounted in response to Operation Sindoor, 'folded in eight hours' on May 10 belying Islamabad's ambitious target of bringing India to its knees in 48 hours, chief of defence staff General Anil Chauhan said on June 3.
New Indian Express
42 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
64% population now under one social welfare scheme, up from 19% in 2015
NEW DELHI: The enormous achievement by India in covering over 94 crore people under social protection benefits garnered much appreciation during the International Labour Organisation (ILO) meeting in Geneva on Wednesday. The organisation officially acknowledged the country's achievement and published it on its dashboard. Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya is leading an Indian delegation to Geneva from June 10-12 to participate in the 113th session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) of the ILO. 'A total of 64.3% of India's population, which represents over 94 crore people, are now covered under at least one social protection benefit. In 2015, this figure was just 19%. In terms of beneficiary count, India now ranks second in the world, providing social protection to around 94 crore citizens,' an official release said. The Director-General of the ILO praised India's focused welfare policies for the poor and labour class under PM Modi's leadership, the release said. 'It is important to note that the present figure reflects only Phase I of the data pooling exercise. This phase focused on beneficiary data of Central and women-centric schemes in selected 8 States. With Phase II and further consolidation underway, it is expected that India's total social protection coverage will soon surpass the 100-crore mark upon verification of additional schemes by the ILO,' the release added.
