Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has delivered a stern warning to Pakistan, asserting that any future terrorist attacks on Indian soil would result in "disastrous" consequences for Pakistan. This declaration comes in the wake of Operation Sindoor, a major military operation launched by India in retaliation for the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people, mostly tourists, in Jammu and Kashmir.

The attack, one of the deadliest since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, was initially claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, though TRF later denied involvement. The brutality of the attack, which targeted religious minorities and included the execution of tourists after verifying their faith, intensified already fraught India-Pakistan relations.

Operation Sindoor, conducted during the night of May 6 and 7, targeted nine terror infrastructures across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, including deep strikes reaching as far as Rawalpindi, the headquarters of the Pakistani Army.

Singh emphasised that the operation was not just a military response but a symbol of India's political, social, and strategic will against terrorism. He underscored that the operation was a direct message to Pakistan: its longstanding strategy of inflicting “a thousand cuts” on India through terrorism would no longer be tolerated, and India’s response would escalate in severity if provoked further.

While addressing troops of the Northern Command in Udhampur, Singh made it clear that Operation Sindoor is "not over yet," describing it as a pause rather than a conclusion. He lauded the precision, coordination, and courage of the Indian armed forces and intelligence agencies, highlighting a significant shift in India’s policy towards terrorism—moving from a reactive to a proactive and assertive stance. Singh warned that any future terror attacks would provoke even stronger retaliation, potentially leading to disastrous outcomes for Pakistan.

The aftermath of the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor has also reverberated in the diplomatic arena. India has taken a hard line, suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, expelling Pakistani diplomats, and closing borders, while Pakistan has responded with its own diplomatic and trade restrictions. These developments have led to heightened military tensions and exchanges of fire along the Line of Control.

Amid these tensions, Singh is expected to visit China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) defence ministers’ meeting in Qingdao from June 25 to 27. This would mark the first high-level Indian ministerial visit to China since the 2020 Ladakh border standoff, signalling a potential thaw in India-China relations. The SCO meeting is set to focus on regional security, counter-terrorism, and connectivity, with India seeking to ensure that the Pahalgam attack is acknowledged in the summit’s outcome documents, while Pakistan is pushing to include references to attacks it attributes to Baloch rebels.

Rajnath Singh’s warning and India’s robust military and diplomatic response underscore a new era in India’s counter-terrorism policy, marked by assertiveness and readiness for escalation if provoked. The situation remains tense, with significant implications for regional security and international diplomatic engagements.

Based On PTI Report