PM Modi marks 10 years of surgical strikes, warns Pakistan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi marked the 10th anniversary of the 2016 surgical strikes across the Line of Control with a warning to Pakistan, saying the era of unpunished terror sponsorship is over. In his monthly Mann Ki Baat broadcast, Modi cited the 2019 Balakot airstrike and this year’s Operation Sindoor as proof that India now gives a “befitting response” to any terror threat. He recalled the Uri attack that preceded the surgical strikes, in which 19 soldiers died, and said India had endured terrorist attacks for too long before the policy shift.

Modi said the 2016 operation demonstrated a new aspect of India’s counter-terror policy and that the world was astonished at Indian soldiers crossing the LoC. Hindustan Times reported that Modi also implied previous governments ignored demands for action against Pakistan, an apparent swipe at the Congress-led UPA. The Congress has previously sought more public evidence of the strikes. Modi also noted the upcoming census, saying enumerators have recorded data for over 320 million families in the first phase.