(HT)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, the first since the halt in the India-Pakistan military standoff, and is learnt to have discussed the security situation in the wake of the pause on Operation Sindoor.
He was joined by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah in the meeting, where they discussed the current situation and India’s preparedness.
The prime minister later chaired a meeting of the Union Cabinet.
Asked about ministers lauding the prime minister during the cabinet meeting, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, “Operation Sindoor was an example of India’s pride, the role of armed forces and the decisive leadership, besides the new doctrine. This is very commendable for the country.” At the briefing, Vaishnaw announced the cabinet’s nod to a Rs 3,706 crore semiconductor plant at Jewar in Uttar Pradesh and said, “You saw the use of science and technology in Operation Sindoor and how India has emerged stronger with the use of technology.” In his first address to the nation after Operation Sindoor on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sternly warned Pakistan that India will not succumb to nuclear blackmail and sent a clear message to the world: terror and trade, terror and talks cannot go together.
“Operation Sindoor is India’s new policy against terrorism and our unwavering pledge for justice. It is the new normal. We have only kept in abeyance our operations against Pakistan and the future will depend on their behaviour,” Modi said in the 22-minute address.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump’s claim of mediation between India and Pakistan in bringing about a halt in hostilities has been rejected by India. Despite India’s rebuttal, Trump again claimed that his government “brokered a historic ceasefire” between the two countries. Launched on May 7, Operation Sindoor involved precision strikes carried out by the Indian Armed Forces on nine high-value terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
