Defence Minister Rajnath Singh informed leaders at an all-party meeting on Thursday that Indian strikes under ‘Operation Sindoor’ on terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir resulted in the killing of at least 100 terrorists, according to sources.
The Defence Minister conveyed that the operation is ongoing and that India is prepared to retaliate if Pakistan launches any attacks following India’s targeted strikes.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, speaking to reporters after the meeting, stated that the purpose of the gathering was to foster a broad political consensus on the matter. He noted that the leaders present demonstrated maturity and avoided any disagreements.
The leaders collectively expressed their concerns regarding national security and the safety of all Indians, particularly those residing in border areas, and pledged their full support, emphasizing the nation’s unity in the fight against terrorism.
“The entire nation is united with the government and the armed forces,” Rijiju affirmed.
He also quoted the Defence Minister as saying, “we don’t do politics just for forming governments, but also to build the nation”.
“The Raksha mantri told the meeting that it was an ongoing operation and that is why he cannot share the technical details of Operation Sindoor that was launched by Indian armed forces,” Rijiju explained.
He added that this was also the reason for the absence of armed forces officials at the meeting, as they were actively engaged in the operations.
Rijiju stated that all leaders spoke with a unified voice, displaying maturity and extending their complete cooperation to the government and armed forces.
“Political leaders also congratulated the armed forces for the action taken under Operation Sindoor,” he said.
Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge stated, “In the moment of crisis, we are with the government”.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said he commended the armed forces and the Government of India for conducting Operation Sindoor.
“I also said that we should run an international campaign against TRF and the UN Security Council should designate it as terror organisation. We also need to ask the United States to designate TRF as foreign terrorist organisation in the country,” Owaisi added.
The meeting was attended by leaders from various parties, including both Leaders of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, as well as Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and BJP president and Health Minister J P Nadda.
The military strikes, codenamed ‘Operation Sindoor’, were conducted in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack. Indian armed forces launched missile strikes early Wednesday on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, including the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba’s base in Muridke. These strikes occurred two weeks after the massacre of 26 civilians in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
The government had previously convened an all-party meeting on April 24 to brief leaders on the Pahalgam attack.
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