Any Future Attack On India Will Be Met With More Severe Response: Amit Shah

SRINAGAR: Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, on Friday issued a strong warning to Pakistan, stating that any future attacks on India would be met with a befitting and forceful response.

While speaking at an official event in the frontier town of Poonch, the Home Minister said that the actions that unfolded after the Pahalgam terror attack made it clear to the world that any future attacks on India would be met with more severe and high response. He said, “Any attack on the Indian citizens, Indian innocent persons, Indian army, Indian borders- any kind of invasion or attack- will not be tolerated by India. Any future attacks on India would be met with a more severe and high response.”

He said, “We all know that a cowardly attack took place on innocent citizens at Pahalgam. The Indian government, as per Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resolute stance against terrorism, responded forcefully to it.” He said that on the night of May 7, India in its robust response destroyed the terrorist bases in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan, killing hundreds of terrorists.

He said, “This was the befitting reply given on behalf of the crores of the Indians. We had targeted the terrorists but Pakistan took it as an attack on itself.” He said that subsequently Pakistan targeted the civilian areas in Jammu and Kashmir and Poonch bore the brunt of the cross-LoC shelling.

“It was for the first time post-independence that the Poonch city was in such a way hit in the shelling. Gurudwaras, temples and madrassas too were targeted. The entire world strongly condemned the Pakistani attacks. Pakistan showed the world that they are the ones who are sheltering terrorists”, he said. He added that the Indian armed forces responded by destroying nine Pakistani air bases following which the neighbouring country came forward for a ceasefire.

The Home Minister handed over appointment letters to the families of civilians killed in Pakistani shelling, calling the move a reflection of the nation’s solidarity with border residents. He said, “Pakistan committed a highly condemnable act. It targeted civilian areas and religious places. This is an event organised for distributing appointment letters for government jobs among their wards. The loss of lives is irreplaceable and we all know that no amount of compensation or government job will give back. This (providing government jobs to the kin of the slain) symbolises the sentiments of the entire Indian public, the J&K government and the Indian government are with the people of Poonch”.

He conveyed solidarity with the residents affected by Pakistani shelling across J&K, assuring them that the nation stands united “like a rock” in supporting them during these challenging times. He said, “The officials here told me about the bravery shown by the people of Poonch (during the recent India-Pakistan military escalation)”.

The J&K government is paying an ex-gratia of ₹10 lakh each for the next of kin of those who lost their lives in Pakistani shelling across the Union Territory. It has also extended financial help between ₹10,000 and ₹35,000 , depending on the gravity of the injury, to the injured whereas each residential house directly hit by the shelling has been sanctioned an assistance amount of ₹1,20,000 and those which suffered minor damage but were not directly impacted, have each received ₹6,500.

The Home Minister said that, apart from this, the Central government will in the next few days come out with a financial package for the affected families. He also announced that more bunkers will be constructed in the frontline villages as the existing ones saved many lives during the recent cross-order shelling.

The Home Minister with a sense of pride mentioned about the patriotism shown by the people of J&K following the Pahalgam attack and during Operation Sindoor. He said, “The spirit of desh bhakti (patriotism) that emerged in the people from (Kashmir) Valley to Jammu and from Poonch to Kathua after the attack bolstered not only Jammu and Kashmir but the entire nation.”

Reaffirming the government’s policy, the Home Minister said, “Terror and talks can’t go together; terror and trade can’t happen together; blood and water can’t flow together. This is our policy. I have come here to deliver the message that development of J&K will neither stop nor slow down.” He said that the vikas (development) of J&K that had started in 2014 may have paused due to the recent events but it will soon resume with the same pace.

Shah paid obeisance at Poonch’s historic Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha which with an Islamic seminary, a mosque and a Geeta Bhawan were also hit in the cross-LoC shelling between May 7 and 10. He also visited a couple of other places wrecked in the Pakistani shelling which left a trail of destruction also in neighbouring Rajouri district and Uri sector of Kashmir Valley’s Baramulla district and Tangdhar-Keran-Karnah belt of Kupwara district.

Later during the day while addressing the Border Security Force (BSF) jawans at their Unit Headquarters at Khanetar, about 9-km from the Poonch city, the Home Minister claimed that the paramilitary force destroyed and damaged over 118 Pakistani posts in the Jammu frontier alone besides dismantling the neighbouring country’s entire surveillance system during Operation Sindoor. He said, “While upholding their traditions, BSF personnel deployed at the Jammu and Rajasthan frontiers and the remote Kutch border protected the nation’s borders with utmost vigilance. I have come here to express gratitude on behalf of the 140 crore people of India to all the border guards of the BSF.”

He said whenever there is any kind of attack on India’s borders, it is the BSF personnel who face it first. “In any situation, 365 days a year and 24 hours a day, BSF personnel remain available, vigilant, and dedicated. No attack directly causes damage within India’s borders because it is the BSF jawan who takes it on his chest first,” he said, adding that, for this reason, every child in the country recognizes BSF border guards as the first line of defence for national security.

He said that even in peacetimes, the BSF maintains a sharp watch on Pakistan’s posts, and during Operation Sindoor, based on precise intelligence and in the shortest possible time they inflicted maximum damage on Pakistani posts. “Such bravery is witnessed only when there is pride in the nation, a spirit of patriotism in the heart, and zeal to make the supreme sacrifice,” he said and added, “The dedication, valor, courage, and sacrifice of BSF personnel are on the lips of every child in the country today”.

Soon after his arrival in Jammu on Thursday evening, the Home Minister had held a meeting with senior officials of J&K administration, uniformed forces and intelligence agencies at raj Bhavan to address critical security issues in the backdrop of the recent India-Pakistan escalation triggered by the Pahalgam terror attack. The discussions revolved around key focus areas particularly the upcoming Amarnath yatra.

In a post on ‘X’, Shah said, “Chaired a review meeting for the Amarnath Pilgrimage and evaluated the security arrangements and preparedness meant for the pilgrims. Instructed to maintain the utmost vigilance and ensure the seamless completion of the sacred journey. Central govt and J&K administration will leave no stone unturned to facilitate the pilgrims with all necessary facilities.”.