Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday addressed the Lok Sabha during a high-stakes 16-hour session focused on national security and cross-border terrorism. Opening the debate on Operation Sindoor, Singh declared the military mission a “swift and successful” response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam. He said the Indian armed forces met all their strategic and political objectives within a 22-minute strike, targeting and destroying nine terror locations—seven of which were major camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Singh emphasized that the operation was meticulously executed with precision and care, ensuring damage to terror infrastructure without harming innocent civilians.

Refuting claims that Operation Sindoor was called off due to international pressure, Singh asserted that the decision to pause the mission was made on strategic grounds, not under diplomatic compulsion. “To say it was stopped under pressure is baseless. We achieved our objectives,” he said, warning that the operation was only on hold, not over. If provoked, Singh added, India would not hesitate to relaunch the offensive. He further stressed that the operation resulted in zero Indian casualties and that the forces possess solid proof of destruction caused inside PoK. He also used the opportunity to criticize the Opposition for downplaying the operation’s success, stating that their silence on Pakistan’s losses reflected political partisanship.

Singh concluded by underlining the government’s preference for peace over war, citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s outreach to Pakistan in 2015 as an example of India’s diplomatic approach. However, he said meaningful talks could only be held with democratic nations—not those “thriving on terrorism and hatred.” Singh’s speech highlighted both the military precision and political firmness behind Operation Sindoor, presenting it as a landmark counter-terror action emblematic of India’s evolving national security doctrine under the Modi government.