NEW DELHI, 8 May: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told an all-party meeting on Thursday that at least 100 hardcore terrorists and their associates were killed in Indian strikes on terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) under the ongoing Operation Sindoor, sources said.
The meeting saw opposition parties backing the government in the military action and hailing the armed forces, as leaders across the political spectrum projected a united front amid heightened tensions between the two neighbouring countries.
Chairing the meeting, Singh, responding to points raised by the leaders of different parties, said that India does not want escalation but will give a befitting reply to Pakistan if attacked, the sources added.
“In the moment of crisis, we are with the government,” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge told reporters after the meeting, a view reiterated by his party colleague and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and echoed by several other opposition leaders.
Singh noted that it is an emerging and evolving situation, declining to get into the details of the continuing Indian operation.
Singh said that at least 100 people, including hardcore terrorists and their associates, were killed in the Indian strikes. A source quoted him as saying, “It is difficult to give an exact estimate as the operation is still ongoing and we are collating the details. India will give a befitting reply if Pakistan attacks.”
The operation has achieved its intended objectives, the defence minister added.
Addressing reporters after the meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said, “The discussions were conducted in a constructive and serious manner,given the gravity of the issue at hand. The defence minister briefed all leaders in detail about Operation Sindoor. Each leader expressed their views with responsibility and maturity, recognising the major challenge the country is currently facing.”
“Across party lines, political leaders said there is no place for politics in such critical times. All leaders unanimously congratulated our armed forces on the success of Operation Sindoor and assured their full support to the government, with no dissent whatsoever,” he added.
The leaders shared their concerns on the issue of national security and the safety of all Indians, especially in border areas, but extended their support, Rijiju said. He quoted Singh as having said, “We do not do politics just for forming governments but also to build the nation.” (PTI)