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NEW DELHI: Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Monday commented on the possibility of second and third phase of Operation Sindoor. He reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comments and said that the military operation against terrorism can be “started again.” However, he did not provide any further details of when and how it would unfold.“Whether part 2 remains to be done or part 3, we can’t say. It depends on their (Pakistan’s) conduct. If they indulge in terrorist activities, they would get a reply,” he said during an interaction with the Indian community in Morocco.“PM too has said that this is just a pause. Operation Sindoor has only been halted…It can be started again,” he added.Talking about the May 7 operation post Pahalgam attack that killed 26, Singh said, “The first question I asked in the meeting with CDS, the three service chiefs and defence secretary the next day, on 23rd April, was if they are ready for an Operation if the Govt decided upon one. You would be delighted to know they didn’t take even a second and responded that they are absolutely ready.”
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“We then approached PM Modi, he told us to go ahead and gave a free hand. You saw what happened after that. Not at the border, we destroyed terror hotbeds 100 km inside their land. A top terrorist of JeM was saying that Masood Azhar’s family was torn apart by India,” he added.PM Modi has clarified that India has merely paused its military action and remains prepared to respond decisively to any future terror attacks.
‘Humne dharm dekh kar nahi, karm dekh kar mara’
Pointing out the difference between terror attack and the military operation, Singh said, “Ab bharat ki vishesha dekho, atankwadio ne deshvashiyo ka dharam puch kar mara, magar hum logo ne kisi ka dharm dekh kar nahi, unka karm dekh kar maara hai. (The terrorists came here and killed our citizens after asking their religion But we did not see someone’s religion, but their actions).”
‘PoK will be ours on it own’
Commenting on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Singh said, “PoK will be ours on its own. Demands have started being made in PoK, you must have heard sloganeering.”“I was addressing the Indian Army at a program in Kashmir Valley 5 years ago, I had then said that we will not need to attack and capture PoK, it is anyway ours; PoK itself will say, ‘Main bhi Bharat Hoon’. That day will come,” he added.India initiated Operation Sindoor following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives. In retaliation, armed forces carried out precision strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK), eliminating over 100 militants. Additional strikes targeted Pakistani air bases after Islamabad escalated tensions.
