Statement by Foreign Secretary: Operation Sindoor
May 07, 2025
Good morning. Thank you all for joining this briefing.
As you are aware, on 22 April 2025, Pakistani and Pakistan-trained terrorists belonging to Lashkar-e-Taiba brutally attacked Indian tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, India. 25 Indians and a Nepali national were brutally killed. This is the most gruesome incident in terms of the number of civilian casualties in a terrorist attack in India after the 26 November 2008 Mumbai attacks.
The Pahalgam attack was extremely brutal, with bystanders shot in the head at close range and in front of their families. The method of killing deliberately traumatized the family members, and also advised them to go back and pass on the message.
This attack was clearly aimed at disrupting the normalcy being restored in Jammu and Kashmir. Since tourism was again becoming the mainstay of the economy, the main objective of this attack was to adversely affect it. Last year, as you all know, more than 22.5 million tourists visited Kashmir. The main objective of this attack was therefore probably to keep the Union Territory backward by harming its development and progress and to help create fertile ground for the relentless cross-border terrorism from Pakistan.
This method of attack was also motivated by the objective of inciting communal riots both in Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of the nation. It should be given credit to the Government and all the citizens of India that these attempts were foiled.
A group calling itself the Resistance Front (TRF) has claimed responsibility for this attack. This group is linked to the UN-banned Pakistani terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba. It is notable that India had submitted half-yearly reports to the Sanctions Monitoring Team of the UN 1267 Committee in May and November 2024 with clear inputs about the TRF. This revealed the role of the TRF as a cover for Pakistan-based terrorist groups. Earlier too, in December 2023, India had informed this team about Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed operating their activities through smaller terrorist groups like the TRF. In this regard, Pakistan’s pressure to remove the reference to the TRF in the UN Security Council press statement on April 25 should also be noted.
The investigation into the Pahalgam terror attack has revealed the terrorists’ links with Pakistan. The claims made by the Resistance Front and reposting by social media handles known to be from Lashkar-e-Taiba confirm this. The attackers have been identified based on eyewitness accounts and other information available to various investigative agencies. Our intelligence has also gathered information about the planners of this team and their supporters.
The modus operandi of this attack is also linked to Pakistan’s long track record of carrying out cross-border terrorism in India, which is well documented. Pakistan has earned a reputation across the world as a safe haven for terrorists. Internationally proscribed terrorists go unpunished here. Moreover, Pakistan is also known to deliberately mislead the world and international forums like the Financial Action Task Force on this issue. The case of Sajid Mir, where the terrorist was declared dead by Pakistan and then, as a result of international pressure, was found alive, is the most blatant example of this.
It is natural that the attack in Pahalgam led to outrage in Jammu and Kashmir as well as other parts of India. After the attacks, the Indian government naturally took some steps regarding relations with Pakistan. You are all aware of the decisions that were announced on 23rd April.
However, it was considered essential that the perpetrators of the 22nd April attacks and their planners be brought to justice. Even after a fortnight of the attacks, no concrete steps have been taken by Pakistan to take action against terrorist infrastructure on its territory or in areas under its control. Instead, it has indulged in denials and accusations. Our intelligence surveillance on Pakistan-based terrorist modules has indicated that further attacks against India may be possible. Therefore, both prevention and containment of these were considered extremely essential.
This morning, as you would be aware, India has exercised its right to respond to and deter and counter such cross-border attacks. This action is measured, non-escalatory, proportionate and responsible. It is focused on eliminating the terrorism infrastructure and incapacitating potential terrorists being sent into India.
You would also recall that on 25 April 2025, the United Nations Security Council issued a press statement on the Pahalgam terrorist attack, stressing the need to “hold accountable and bring to justice the perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of this reprehensible act of terrorism”.
India’s action today should be seen in this context.
New Delhi
May 07, 2025