Operation Sindoor: 'We will put terrorists in their graves,' says Col. Rathore

It was ldquolong overduerdquo said Colonel Utkarsh Rathore Retd when asked about a first reaction to Operation Sindoor ldquoI learnt about the strikes very early on May 7 and immediately thought ldquoWe have taken the proxy war that has been launched on India into Pakistan We have suffered for threeandahalf decades due to terrorism Pahalgam of course being the latestrdquoEntrenchedAsked about the continual conjecture and conversation that has followed Pahalgam from when and if India will strike to whether now that the country has done so whether this is just one strike and action will dial down Rathore said ldquoTerrorism is wellentrenched in the Pakistan Armysociety It is a state tool and cannot be removed in one strike Yet what this action does is send a very strong message to Pakistan We struck three places that are the strongholds of at least three terror outfits mdash the LashkareTaiba LeT in Muridke JaisheMohammed JeM in Bahawalpur and the Hizbul Mujahideen in Muzaffarabad Terror outfits have their lsquofranchiseesrsquo if one could call it that in the Sialkot sector and elsewhererdquoMessage is fierce says Col Retd Utkarsh RathoreAsked whether the Indian government came under pressure Rathore said ldquoAn elected government owes responsibility and an explanation More than what triggered the response we must focus on the modus operandi while Pakistan may have expected a reaction it was still a very fine design by deception It was announced that civil defence drills were being conducted across the nation It may have lulled Pakistan into thinking that India is preparing for an attack from there Instead India attacked And I Appreciate too that we have used precision coordination and finesserdquo he stated proudlyEnablersAsked about local enablers Rathore said ldquoWe cannot wish away local terrorism Along with strikes action must continue to root out those who have guided these terrorists local enablers those who provided food and shelter for the terrorists armed them and political and human rights activists who speak on their behalf Remember the Pahalgam attack happened while we were very happy counting our tourist numbers elated about a lsquorecord numberrsquo of tourists who had entered the Valley We can never let our guard downrdquoAs for the lsquonoisesrsquo from Pakistan regarding a retaliation for Operation Sindoor he said ldquoPakistan will feel it has to do something It cannot take this insult lying down Operation Sindoor has stung very sharply right from the name itself highly emotive and apt conveying widows revenge sentiment all in one and a tribute to the sisters and daughters of India Pahalgam was the final straw that broke the camelrsquos back and these strikes should break terror hideouts in PakistanrdquolsquoSindoorrsquoFor Mumbaibased Lt Col MK Choudhury Retd it is ldquounlike the Shakespearean lsquoWhatrsquos in a namersquo There are lsquolots in a namersquo when it comes to missions like these and Operation Sindoor is such a moving and fantastic label for this campaign It is hugely emotional reminding people that the lsquosindoorrsquo has been wiped out from womenhellip they are now widows because of the Pahalgam attack which has now been avenged It is a motivational phrase and I compliment Prime Minister Narendra Modi for thisrdquoChoudhury added ldquoThe Pahalgam attack wherein people were asked about their religion and then killed is something that is unprecedented in India The strikes send a message to the terrorists that no matter where they hide they will be put into their gravesrdquoPrecisionOf the operation itself Choudhury urged people saying ldquoLook at our precision This is pinpoint bombing We have awesome fliers fighter pilots The aim of the mission was to destroy terror hideouts not to kill innocents We have achieved thatrdquoHowever there are those who still ask if this is enough Choudhury who has seen action in 1971 said ldquoWe have had four wars against Pakistan 1948 1965 1971 and 1999 There are those who will simply not change so we have to calibrate our response and show them mdash we are there to wipe you outrdquoCowardiceChoudhury recalled in earlier action ldquoWe had captured a Pakistani soldier who told us lsquoIn action India has its officers leading and the jawans junior ranks follow When it is Pakistan we have the jawans who lead in the war and our officers followrsquo That is the kind of cowardice we have in the Pakistan ranksrdquoIn the end Col Choudhury said ldquoThe Indian Army our pride does not forgive It does not forget No matter how many times the cowards strike we will rise stronger Terrorism thrives on fear But India has answered with courage unity and action Our eyes remain open our fists remain clenched and our hearts remain unbrokenrdquoatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params