- Tuesday, May 13, 2025
The prime minister said his government will not make a distinction between governments that support “terrorism” and “terrorist groups”
By: India Weekly
PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi has said India “only paused” its military action against Pakistan, and will “retaliate on its own terms” if there is any future “terror” attack on the country.
In his first speech to the nation since a ceasefire following a fierce military confrontation with Pakistan last week, Modi said his government will not make a distinction between governments that support “terrorism” and “terrorist groups”.
“We will be monitoring every step of Pakistan,” Modi added, saying that “This is not an era of war, but this is not an era of terrorism, either.”
The prime minister said that “Operation Sindoor” was not just a name, it marks a “decisive shift in India’s strategic approach. The operation has set a new standard, a new normal in counter-terrorism measures.”
“Today, every terrorist knows the consequences of wiping the sindoor off the foreheads of our sisters and daughters. Operation Sindoor is an unwavering pledge for justice. Terrorists dared to wipe the sindoor off the foreheads of our sisters, that is why India destroyed the very headquarters of terror,” Modi said.
The prime minister said India will not succumb to nuclear blackmail and sent a clear message to the world – terror and trade, terror and talks cannot go together.
“Any talks with Pakistan can happen only on terrorism and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir,” Modi remarked.
Prime minister Modi on Tuesday (13) addressed air force personnel at the Adampur air base in Punjab, who were in the thick of action during the recent conflict with Pakistan.
He claimed that when “Our armed forces take the wind out of nuclear blackmail, our enemies understand the importance of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai'”.
“The tales of your valour will be etched in history forever. I salute our Army, Air Force and Navy personnel,” Modi said.
However, minutes before Modi’s speech was aired on television channels, US president Donald Trump claimed at a press conference in Washington that his administration had averted a “nuclear conflict” between India and Pakistan.
“On Saturday, my administration helped broker a full and immediate ceasefire, I think, a permanent one between India and Pakistan, ending a dangerous conflict of two nations with lots of nuclear weapons,” Trump said.
Trump said that India and Pakistan “were going at it hot and heavy, and it was seemingly not going to stop.”
“I’m very proud to let you know that the leadership of India and Pakistan was unwavering, powerful, but unwavering in both cases, having these they really were from the standpoint of having the strength and the wisdom and fortitude to fully know and to understand the gravity of the situation,” Trump said.
The US President said he told India and Pakistan that America will do “a lot of trade” with them if they stop the conflict.
“And we helped a lot, and we helped also with trade. I said, ‘Come on, we’re going to do a lot of trade with you guys. Let’s stop it. Let’s stop it. If you stop it, we’re doing trade. If you don’t stop it, we’re not going to do any trade’.”
Trump added that “People have never really used trade the way I used it, that I can tell you. And all of a sudden they (India and Pakistan) said, ‘I think we’re going to stop.’”
“And they have, and they did it for a lot of reasons, but trade is a big one. We’re going to do a lot of trade with Pakistan. We’re going to do a lot of trade with India. We’re negotiating with India right now. We’re going to be soon negotiating with Pakistan, and we stopped a nuclear conflict,” Trump said.
“I think it … could have been a bad nuclear war. Millions of people could have been killed. So I’m very proud of that. I also want to thank Vice President (J D) Vance and Secretary of State (Marco) Rubio for their work and efforts, they worked very hard on that,” Trump said.
However, Modi in his speech made to mention of Trump’s intervention.
After the cessation of hostilities, the Indian government had maintained that the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan reached an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air, and sea, with immediate effect.
They said no third party was involved.
Interestingly, the first news of a ceasefire was announced by Trump on his Truth Social network, and officials from Islamabad and New Delhi later confirmed the development.
However, the opposition parties have expressed concern over Trump’s claims and the issue is expected to figure whenever the government calls an all-party meeting.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said on Tuesday (13) he will urge the government to call an all-party meeting soon, to discuss the latest developments in border tension between India and Pakistan, including “ceasefire”.
When queried about Trump’s claim, on Tuesday, Kharge said, “It is a sensitive matter. When an all-party meeting is called, we will discuss — what’s the matter, what happened, and what were the telephone talks — and ask all these things”.
He said it won’t be right for me to speak about it now.
Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal has questioned why the prime minister neither mentioned the US nor President Donald Trump in his address to the nation, despite them “interfering” in India’s conflict with Pakistan.
Sibal also said the prime minister did not even state how the understanding with Pakistan on halting military hostilities was reached.
The Independent Rajya Sabha MP also took exception to the timing of Trump’s remarks, just ahead of the prime minister’s address. (Agencies)
