Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday lauded the bravery and courage of the Indian armed forces during Operation Sindoor, underscoring that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, no power would dare to challenge India’s sovereignty.
Speaking at an event in Hyderabad, he highlighted a recent admission by a Jaish-e-Mohammed commander, who revealed that the family of terrorist leader Masood Azhar was "destroyed" in the Indian operation on May 7, launched in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
"The commander of the terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed has admitted that during the Bahawalpur attack during Operation Sindoor, the family of dreaded terrorist Masood Azhar was destroyed. This was the bravery and courage of our Indian Army soldiers. A video of this was also released yesterday. Under the leadership of our Prime Minister Modi, India's strength has grown even further. Therefore, no power can dare to challenge India's sovereignty," the Union Minister said in Hyderabad.
Singh was addressing a gathering to commemorate the 78th anniversary of Hyderabad Liberation Day, which marks the integration of Hyderabad into the Indian Union following Operation Polo, which liberated the city from Nizam rule. During the event, the Defence Minister unveiled a statue of Bharat Ratna Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India’s former Union Home Minister, who played a pivotal role in integrating various territories and princely states into the Indian Union after independence.
Singh also addressed speculation about third-party involvement in the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan, firmly rejecting such claims. He emphasised that Operation Sindoor would resume if further terrorist incidents occur.
"There are some people who say that this ceasefire between India and Pakistan came to be put in place due to someone's interference. I want to make this clear: our action against the terrorists was not postponed because of anyone's interference. Operation Sindoor has been postponed. If any terrorist incident occurs, Operation Sindoor will resume. I want to tell this with confidence to the people of the entire country that regarding stopping this ongoing operation between India and Pakistan, some people claim that we have stopped it, but no one has stopped it," he said.
Also Read: Jaish admits Op Sindoor impact, Azhar's family 'torn'
In contrast to US President Donald Trump's assertions, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Muhammad Ishaq Dar, recently denied any third-party mediation in settling bilateral issues with India during Operation Sindoor in an interview with international media. Dar stated that Islamabad had raised the issue of third-party mediation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who responded that India does not support external involvement.
While the US president has repeatedly claimed involvement in ceasefire negotiations, India’s Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar, dismissed these assertions as “bizarre, if not unfair”. India has instead attributed the ceasefire to direct military-to-military discussions between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both nations.
Also Read: Modi says 'new India not scared of nuclear threats'
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