(HT)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said Operation Sindoor has exposed the fact that terrorism in India is fully Pakistan sponsored.
Delivering the Rustamji Memorial Lecture organised by the Border Security Force (BSF) on the occasion of its 22nd investiture ceremony, he also said that the border guarding force has proved its mettle during Operation Sindoor and did not allow nefarious Pakistani activities.
“Operation Sindoor has exposed that terrorism in India is absolutely Pakistan sponsored,” he said.
The home minister said the Indian armed forces first hit the terror bases in Pakistan but it was the Pakistan Army that responded by trying to attack India.
“We launched Operation Sindoor and destroyed nine terrorist camps. It is important to note that we didn’t target the Pakistan Army installations, civilians or air base,” he said.
“We targeted the terrorists, but Pakistan took it on itself and proved that it was Pakistan sponsored terrorism,” Shah said.
“They dared to target our civilians but couldn’t succeed in front of our air defence system. In response to which, we targeted their air base and introduced our striking capability to them,” the home minister said.
He said in 2014, the BJP government was formed and an attack was made on the soldiers in Uri.
“We did a surgical strike. After that, the Pulwama attack happened. In reply to which, we did an air strike. Now, in Pahalgam, innocent tourists were killed after asking about their religion. Operation Sindoor was the reply to it. The world is appreciating us for this. I salute the Army,” he said.
India carried out precision strikes under Operation Sindoor on terror infrastructure early on May 7 in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.
Following the Indian action, Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9 and 10. The Indian forces launched a fierce counter-attack on several Pakistani military installations.
India and Pakistan reached an understanding on May 10 to end the military confrontation after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.Hailing the role played by the BSF in securing the country, Shah said the force is a great example of how one can overcome all difficulties on the basis of patriotism and become the best force in the world.
Referring to the BSF’s role in guarding international borders, including with Bangladesh, Shah said the neighbouring country should not forget the big role played by the BSF in its creation.
He said on behalf of the entire nation, he salutes more than 2,000 border guards who have made the supreme sacrifice while fearlessly walking the path of their duty with the spirit of supreme sacrifice from 1965 to 2025K F Rustamji was the founding father and the first director general of the BSF, the world’s largest border guarding force with about 2.75 lakh personnel tasked to guard Indian borders with Pakistan on the west and Bangladesh on the east.The BSF was raised in 1965.
