Operation Sindoor Is Not Over Yet; It Was Just A Trailer: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said that Operation Sindoor was not over yet. Whatever happened was just a trailer. When the right time comes, we will show the full picture, he said while addressing the brave Air Warriors at the Air Force Station in Gujarat's Bhuj.

"I pay my tribute to all the innocent civilians killed in Pahalgam and our soldiers who attained martyrdom during 'Operation Sindoor'. I also pay my tribute to the courage of our injured soldiers and pray to God that they recover as soon as possible," the defence minister, who is on his first visit to Bhuj Air Base after Operation Sindoor, said. "...I salute all you Air warriors, including all the brave soldiers of the Armed forces and the BSF."

It is no small matter that India's Air Force has access to every corner of Pakistan, and this has been fully proven, Singh said. "Today the situation is such that India's fighter planes are capable of striking every corner of Pakistan from here, without crossing the border," he said while praising the IAF.

"The whole world has seen how you destroyed nine terrorist hideouts on Pakistani soil; in the action taken later, many of their airbases were destroyed," he said.

The Defence Minister noted that now the fight against terrorism is not just a matter of security, but has become a part of the national defence doctrine. "Together with you, we will root out this hybrid and proxy warfare," he said.

Singh called upon the International Monetary Fund to reconsider its $1 billion assistance to Islamabad and refrain from providing any support in future as well. 

"Pakistan will spend the tax collected from its citizens to give around Rs 14 crore to Masood Azhar, the head of Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist organisation, even though he is a UN-designated terrorist. The Pakistan government has also announced financial assistance to rebuild the terror infrastructure of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, located in Muridke and Bahawalpur," he said.

A large part of IMF's assistance will be used to fund the terror infrastructure, Singh said. "Any financial assistance to Pakistan is no less than terror funding. The funds India gives to IMF should not be used, directly or indirectly, to create terror infrastructure in Pakistan or any other country," he said.

Pakistan has accepted the power of the ‘BrahMos' missile. This 'Made in India' missile showed Pakistan the light of day in the darkness of night, he said. He also lauded India's air defence systems, in which Akash and other radar systems made by DRDO have played a tremendous role.

"Recently, the Honorable Prime Minister has said one thing very clearly that attacking terrorism is now the new normal. This is the new normal of New India," he highlighted.

(With inputs from ANI).