India's response to the killing of 26 civilians in the Pahalgam terror attack, aptly named Operation Sindoor, has captured the national sentiment and allowed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to underline what he has termed as the "new normal" and India's renewed policy on terror and its sponsors.
In two speeches in a span of 24 hours, PM Modi sent out a message not just to Pakistan but the entire world of India being a country that believes in peace but delivers decisive destruction if provoked.
In his address to the nation on Monday, an emotionally charged Modi said that Operation Sindoor had established a new 'Lakshman Rekha', suggesting that any act of terror against India emanating from Pakistan's soil will be treated as an act of war, and the punishment meted out to the enemy, exemplary.
"We remain committed to taking strong steps to safeguard India and its people. On the battlefield, we have always defeated Pakistan, and this time, Operation Sindoor has added a new dimension," PM Modi said in his address to the nation on May 12.
On May 13, the Prime Minister visited the Adampur airbase in Punjab and lauded the Indian Air Force for the successful operation, striking key terror hubs and neutralizing over 100 terrorists deep within the territory of Pakistan.
There are 5 key messages that have emerged from Prime Minister Modi's address on May 12 and 13:
1. If there is a terrorist attack on India, a fitting reply will be given.
2. India will not tolerate any nuclear blackmail. India will strike precisely and decisively
at the terrorist hideouts developing under the cover of nuclear blackmail.
3. We will not differentiate between the government sponsoring terrorism and the
masterminds of terrorism. We will continue to take decisive steps to protect India and our citizens from any threat.
4. India's stand is very clear... Terror and talks cannot go together... Terror and trade cannot go together…. Water and blood cannot flow together.
5. If there are talks with Pakistan, they will be only on terrorism; and if there are talks with Pakistan, they will be only on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
A marked shift
A look at the Prime Minister's articulation of India's stand on terrorism and its state sponsors following Operation Sindoor also reveals a marked shift in policy for India. If the surgical strikes taking out terror camps in Pakistan occupied Kashmir by the Indian Army in 2016 showed that India was done taking terror attacks lying down, the air strikes by the Indian Air Force in Balakot changed the paradigm by striking terror camps within Pakistan -- a warning that terrorists could not remain safe despite the safe harbor that Pakistan provides them.
With Operation Sindoor, India has underlined that terror attacks against its citizens will lead to punishment not just for terrorists and its masterminds but also for Pakistan. The state sponsors of terror would pay a heavy price and any such incident would be viewed as an "act of war".
Even in terms of optics, PM's message has been sharper than ever before. While the earlier strikes in 2019 and 2016 were largely limite4d to the rhetoric of 'ghus ke maara', Operation Sindoor has set a brand new threshold in terms of India's intolerance to Pakistan-sponsored terror.
So, while Uri and Balakot were limited to deterrence, Operation Sindoor has underlined India's new doctrine against terrorism that rests on a response on its own terms, refusing to buckle under the nuclear blackmail and eliminating the distinction between terrorists, their backers and the government that sponsors them.
An added dimension to the PM's articulation of Operation Sindoor has been the linking of Pakistan and terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhammad to global terror and several key attacks across the globe.
“The way the Pakistani army, Pakistan government are encouraging terrorism, it will destroy Pakistan one day. If Pakistan wants to survive, it will have to destroy its terror infrastructure. There is no other way to peace. India’s stand is very clear: Terror and talks cannot go together. Terror and trade cannot go together. Water and blood cannot flow together. Today, I would also like to tell the global community that our stated policy has been: if there are talks with Pakistan, it will be only on terrorism; and if there are talks with Pakistan, it will be only on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK),” the Prime Minister said.
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