Rabat: Indian armed forces were given complete freedom to appropriately respond to the cowardly terror attack on innocent civilians in Pahalgam, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said.
Singh also said that India’s actions in response to the attack were “measured and non-escalatory.”
The defence minister made the remarks in an address to the Indian community at Rabat in Morocco on Sunday.
Singh is on a two-day visit to the North African country.
The Defence Minister reaffirmed that the armed forces were fully prepared and had been given complete freedom to respond after the cowardly attack on innocent Indians in Pahalgam, according to an official readout.
“We took action not based on religion but on deeds (Humne dharm dekh kar nahi, karm dekh kar maara hai),” Mr. Singh said, quoting the Ramcharitmanas to describe the nation’s firm yet restrained approach, it noted.
In response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, India launched Operation on May 7, targeting terrorist infrastructure in territories controlled by Pakistan.
The strikes triggered four days of intense clashes that ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions on May 10.
The Defence Minister also highlighted the progress achieved by India in the last decade under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Despite geopolitical challenges, India has emerged as the fastest-growing major economy, and is poised to enter the top three soon, he said.
