Delivering a stern Independence Day message from the Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday warned that India will not spare either terrorists or those who support them, in a pointed statement to Pakistan. He declared that the armed forces will decide on the punishment in the event of any future provocation from the neighbouring country.
Hailing the success of Operation Sindoor, launched after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, Modi said the operation dealt a massive blow to Pakistan, with the scale of destruction still emerging. “Our brave soldiers punished the enemy beyond its imagination. What they did has not been seen in decades,” he said in his 12th consecutive Independence Day address.
The prime minister stressed that India has set a “new normal” in handling cross-border terrorism and will no longer tolerate Pakistan’s “nuclear blackmail.” Operation Sindoor, conducted between May 7 and May 10, saw Indian forces strike deep into Pakistani territory, destroying terror bases and triggering four days of hostilities before a mutual understanding was reached.
Recalling the Pahalgam attack, in which terrorists killed civilians after questioning their religion, Modi said the nation’s outrage was matched by decisive military action. “We gave our armed forces a free hand—they chose the strategy, targets and timing,” he said, adding that destruction on Pakistani soil was unprecedented.
Modi also defended suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, calling it “one-sided and unjust.” He declared, “Now, blood and water will not flow together. For decades, our rivers irrigated enemy lands while our farmers faced shortages.”
The prime minister credited India’s push for self-reliance in defence manufacturing for the success of Operation Sindoor, underscoring that a stronger, self-sufficient military is central to the country’s security strategy.
