Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, May 8: Over 100 terrorists were killed in India’s precision strikes on the terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir during the “Operation Sindoor” which is an “ongoing” process, defence minister Rajnath Singh told an all-party meeting on Thursday.
Mr Singh said while India did not want to escalate the situation at this point, the Indian military stands ready to respond to any escalation by Pakistan and hit back if Pakistan dared to strike,. The meeting was held a day after India carried out calibrated airstrikes at nine locations in Pakistan and Pok and destroyed terror infrastructure used by Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba to carry out attacks on Indian soil.
The government briefed the Opposition on the “Operation Sindoor” carried out by the Indian armed forces to avenge the Pahalgam terror attack and said India would not back down if Pakistan opts for any misadventure. Mr Singh, who chaired the meeting, said the “Operation Sindoor” was “ongoing” and therefore the details cannot be divulged at the moment.
“In Operation Sindoor, precise strikes were carried out on 9 terrorist hideouts. Around 100 terrorists were killed. Confirmed information is still awaited, and counting is ongoing,” sources quoted the government as having informed the all-party meeting.
The government also conveyed to the Opposition that this was not a simple or routine strike — multiple terror hubs were targeted, and several high-value terrorists were eliminated in the operation. On India’s preparedness, the government informed the members that several defence production units and centres have proactively reached out to offer support. These centres have expressed willingness to forgo profit considerations and do not expect advance payments for production demands, underscoring their commitment to putting the nation first.
Several Opposition leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, took part in the meeting. From the government’s side, Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Dr S Jaishankar, Nirmala Sitharaman, and other ministers were present. There was unanimity in the meeting with all the opposition parties unequivocally extending full support to the government in whatever steps it deemed fit to avenge the brutal killings of the innocent tourists in Pahalgam.
The Opposition leaders asked a number of questions, however, the government was not willing to share much details at this stage.
In the meeting, Rajnath informed the parties that no specific details can be divulged because it was an “evolving situation.”
According to sources, Rahul Gandhi also asked certain questions but did not push the government, saying “very clearly that we understand how this really works and what the situation is.” He extended support to the government at this critical hour.
Some MPs also asked about the special session, which did not draw any response from the government. Rajnath ended the meeting in a “very positive manner,” sources said. “He told the members that he would not use this time to thank anyone and everyone because we are all in this together,” sources informed.
“The fact that all the opposite parties are speaking in one voice is a great message, not just to the animation but largely to the people of the country. The most important message of this unity of political parties will boost the morale of the security forces,” Rajnath told the Opposition.
Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress chief and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, questioned the Prime Minister’s absence at the all-party meeting. Speaking to the media later, Mr Kharge said, “He was not present at the earlier meeting either. It’s okay, he thinks he is above Parliament. We will ask him sometime. But this is a time of crisis, we don’t want to criticise anyone.” Mr Gandhi said some details cannot be discussed with the media because they are confidential.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said political leaders cutting across party lines showed maturity at the meeting. “At a time when the country is facing such a crisis, there is no place for politics. All leaders unanimously praised the armed forces. Everyone said we will support all actions of the government and the forces. Nobody had any opposition,” he said.
Mr Rijiju added that Defence Minister Singh had said today’s meeting shows we are not in politics to just form the government, but to run the country. “Across the country, all political leaders are speaking in one language. That’s good. I want to thank all the leaders. Everyone came and supported us the way we thought they would. This was a fruitful meeting,” he added.
The opposition told the government it would continue to support all efforts to combat cross-border terrorism; Congress boss Mallikarjun Kharge told reporters, “We heard what they said… they also said some information had to remain confidential. We said ‘we are all with the government’.”
Sources said the strikes had dismantled terrorist infrastructure in target areas. Sindoor was a synchronised 25-minute strike – using precision weapons like the SCALP missile and HAMMER bomb – at nine terror camps in Pakistan and PoK. The targets included the HQs and training camps of terrorist groups Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed. The targets were chosen based on “credible intelligence and their involvement in cross-border terrorism.” No Pak military establishment was targeted and the operation was timed to minimise civilian casualties.
Later, speaking at the National Quality Conclave in Delhi, Mr Singh pushed for domestic production of defence equipment, saying import was not a long-term solution. Mr Singh said “Operation Sindoor” was a success because of the quality of the arms used. “If we buy defence equipment from other countries, it means we are outsourcing it and leaving our security in the hands of someone else. This cannot be a long-term solution,’ he said, underscoring that the government has paid emphasis on defence production in terms of both quality and quantity.
