Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India had defeated the Pakistani armed forces during a recent military operation, Indian media reported on Tuesday.
“The Indian armed forces have defeated the Pakistani military. We have made it clear to them that there is no place in Pakistan where terrorists can live in peace,” Modi said, speaking at the Indian air base in Adampur, Punjab state.
He warned again that India would be ready to take retaliatory measures if Pakistan escalated the situation.
“India has only suspended military operations. If Pakistan continues its terrorist activities and brazen military operations, we will respond accordingly,” Modi said.
Modi also stressed that India’s response, if necessary, would be “on India’s terms.” Modi also thanked the Indian military for their valour, bravery and steadfastness and urged them to remain on alert.
The Indian prime minister said that the aim of Operation Sindoor was to strike at the headquarters of Pakistani terrorists. The day before, in his first speech to the nation since the start of Operation Sindoor, Modi noted that “terror and talks cannot go hand in hand” and called on Islamabad to eliminate the “terrorist infrastructure” in order to achieve peace in the region.
On Tuesday, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry called Modi’s words provocative and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the ceasefire agreement.
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry also dismissed as false the Indian government’s claims that Pakistan had agreed to a truce out of desperation. In addition, the Pakistani side warns that it will respond decisively if India shows aggression.
Pakistan declares Indian official “persona non grata”
Meanwhile, Pakistan has declared an official of the Indian High Commission a “persona non grata” for engaging in activities that it considers “incompatible” with his privileged status.
A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the official in question would have to leave Pakistan within a day, Indian media reported early on Wednesday morning. This step was taken a day after Indian authorities on Tuesday expelled a Pakistani official working at the Pakistani High Commission for alleged “espionage.”
India’s chargé d’affaires was summoned to the Pakistani Foreign Ministry on Tuesday for a démarche, a political protest. India’s Ministry of External Affairs, declaring the Pakistani official persona non grata on Tuesday, said his activities were not in keeping with his official status in India.
Relations between India and Pakistan escalated after a group of militants killed 26 people in a tourist area in northern India on April 22. India blamed Pakistan for the attack.
On May 7, the Indian military launched Operation Sindoor and carried out air strikes on infrastructure located in Pakistan and on areas of Kashmir controlled by Islamabad. The Pakistani armed forces responded with retaliatory strikes. The exchange of fire then continued.
On May 10, US President Donald Trump announced that India and Pakistan had agreed to a ceasefire.
