Balakot to Sindoor, India gave befitting reply: PM Modi on Pakistan terror

NEW DELHI: In a stern message to Pakistan, PM Modi said on Sunday the time when its role in sponsoring terror attacks on India would go unpunished is long gone, and his govt has made it clear with its actions, including Op Sindoor, that terrorists will be given a befitting response for their sinister designs against India.Modi's message came in his 'Mann ki Baat' broadcast as India marks the 10th anniversary of the surgical strikes on terror hideouts in Pakistan on Sept 28-29, 2016. "The world was astonished to see the manner in which our brave soldiers crossed the LoC to take action against terror. The strike demonstrated a new aspect of India's counter-terror policy. It was our decisive response to long-standing pain India had endured," he said."Over the past decade, from Balakot airstrike to Op Sindoor, India has repeatedly sent out a clear message: if terrorists dare to cast an evil eye on India, they will be met with a befitting response."'Zero-tolerance terror policy has borne results'Contrasting his government's targeted action against Pakistan to the approach of the previous Congress-led UPA govt, PM Narendra Modi said serial blasts had once become a common occurrence in the country. On Sept 13, 2008, serial blasts rocked Delhi and, just a few weeks later, the Mumbai terror attack stunned the country, the PM said.Demands for action against Pakistan following every terror attack used to be made then but were ignored. "Today, India pursues a zero-tolerance policy against terrorism, and we are witnessing the results of that," he said.During Op Sindoor, the Modi govt also unveiled a tougher national security doctrine, declaring that any future terror attack will be treated as an act of war. This eliminated the false distinction between terrorists and their state sponsors, it had said.Modi's message to Pakistan comes at a time when the nation is trying to airbrush its long association with terror incidents around the world, reflected in its PM Shehbaz Sharif's recent claims at the United Nations General Assembly about its role and sacrifices in combating terrorism.In his UNGA address, foreign minister S Jaishankar had snubbed Pakistan, calling it a "serial practitioner of terrorism" and asserting that India will continue to exercise its right to defend itself against terror threats.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.