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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday renewed his assault on Pakistan, underscoring India’s hard line on national security and recalling the military strikes that dismantled terror camps across the border.
Speaking at a rally in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, on the occasion of his 75th birthday, Modi said:
“Pakistani terrorists tried to wipe the sindoor of our sisters and daughters. We launched Operation Sindoor and crushed their terror camps. Our brave armed forces brought Pakistan to its knees in the blink of an eye.”
Referring to a recent confession by a Jaish-e-Mohammed cadre on the devastation wrought by Indian forces in Bahawalpur, the Prime Minister declared:
“This is a new India. It fears no one’s nuclear threats. Ghar mein ghus ke maarta hai (it strikes inside the enemy’s home).”
The remarks came just days after senior JeM figure Masood Ilyas Kashmiri admitted that outfit chief Maulana Masood Azhar’s family was “torn apart” during Operation Sindoor. Modi’s words also appeared aimed at Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir, who had recently rattled nuclear sabres with talk of “half the world” being at risk in a future conflict.
From Uri to Sindoor: A Policy of Hard Retaliation
Since 2016, Modi has overseen a fundamental shift in India’s counter-terrorism posture – replacing strategic restraint with demonstrative retaliation.
- Uri and Surgical Strikes (2016): After 19 soldiers were killed in Uri, the Army crossed the LoC to destroy multiple terror launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. For the first time, the Army was given operational freedom to calibrate its response.
- Balakot Air Strikes (2019): Following the Pulwama suicide attack that killed 40 CRPF personnel, the IAF bombed a JeM training camp in Balakot, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – the first strike on Pakistani territory beyond the LoC since 1971.
- Operation Sindoor (2025): After the Pahalgam massacre in which Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives killed 26 tourists, India struck deep inside Pakistan, targeting Lashkar’s Muridke headquarters and JeM’s Bahawalpur base. Defence sources called it the first direct Indian military action on Pakistan’s mainland in over five decades. The IAF swiftly countered retaliatory moves by Pakistan.
A Strategic Recalibration
Analysts argue that the Modi era has rewritten India’s security doctrine. The consistent theme, from Uri to Balakot to Sindoor, has been empowering the armed forces with operational autonomy, backed by political resolve. For New Delhi, deterrence is no longer declaratory; it is enforced through action.
Huma Siddiqui
