"Pakistan paid price...": Retired Lt Gen KJS Dhillon praises PM Modi, armed forces for Operation Sindoor

New Delhi [India], May 7 (ANI): Lieutenant General KJS Dhillon (Retd) a former commander of the Chinar Corps, praised the central government and the Indian army for striking terrorist infrastructures in Pakistan and Pak-occupied Jammu and Kashmir under 'Operation Sindoor' in the early hours of Wednesday and said that the Centre along with armed forces have 'avenged' the loss of lives in the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.
Speaking to ANI, Lt Gen KJS Dhillon (Retd) said, "Terrorists have always been snatching the rakhis of sisters, mangalsutra of wives and the blessings of the mother by killing their sons, husbands and brothers. The Pahalgam attack was a cowardly act. The terrorists killed innocent people in front of the children, in front of the wives, in front of their parents. All those sisters who lost their Sindoor that day, PM Modi, our forces and the government of India have avenged their suffering. They (Pakistan) have paid the price for that Sindoor."
He also underscored the role of India's women in shaping the future of security, referencing Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh as symbols of strength and capability.
Their presence, Dhillon noted, demonstrated that Indian women will not be oppressed and will take decisive action when needed.
"The two women officers (Col. Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh) who briefed the media today are a respresentation that our women our able and will not be oppressed. They gave a kind of symbol that our women can take action against you," said Dhillon.
Discussing the precision and coordination of the military's response, Dhillon explained the vital role of diplomacy and international relations in shaping India's military actions.
He reiterated the government's approach of coordinated efforts, stating that the military is always prepared for immediate action but must work in sync with diplomatic and political efforts.
"The statements in International relations that are being made publicly and the assurances that are being made behind the doors are two different things. In the 14-15 days after the Pahalgam attack, our Prime Minister, diplomats, ministers have worked together. If you ask our military to attack anywhere, they will do it tonight, as we have all the data and weapons systems, but the coordination is also required. All the diplomatic, political and economic actions that are being taken - and the coordination between all to bring synergy. The MEA then says that we have communicated to all the countries, and except for a few, most of them are with us, then only the military takes action," he said.
Dhillon lauded the armed forces for 'Operation Sindoor' wherein nine terror sites were targeted and successfully destroyed, causing no damages to civilians and their infrastructures.
He said that 'Operation Sindoor' was not an act of war, but a retaliatory attack to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam that claimed the lives of 26.
"Just like the PM said a few days back that he will give the free hand to forces and the way forces have coordinated - from Bahawalpur to Muzaffarabad Kotli - to hit nine targets throughout and that too with a precision that no civilian casualty occurred. Our forces are so capable that they can enter anywhere to bring the perpetrators to justice. It is not an act of war, it is a retaliation towards the terrorist attack in Pahalgam," he said.
Adding further, Dhillon said, "The ball is now in the hands of Pakistan, and if it does something now, India will have every right to take it as an act of war and then to retaliate accordingly."
Meanwhile, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval spoke with his counterparts from the United States, Japan and several other countries and briefed them about India's "measured, non-escalatory" action, sources said.
India carried out 'precise strikes" against terrorist infrastructure in response to the Pahalgam terror attack.
NSA briefed his counterparts on actions taken and method of execution, which was measured, non-escalatory and restrained.
He emphasised that India had no intent to escalate but was well prepared to retaliate resolutely should Pakistan decide to escalate. NSA will be in touch with his counterparts in the days ahead, sources said.
At a joint briefing on Operation Sindoor in which nine terrorist camps were targeted with precision strikes, Foreign Secretay Vikram Misri said the terror attack in Pahalgam was marked with extreme barbarity, with the victims mostly killed with head shots at close range and in front of their family.
Misri said that Indian intelligence agencies had been monitoring terrorist activities and raised concerns regarding more terrorist attacks in India.
"Our intelligence indicated that further attacks against India are impending. Thus, compulsion, both to deter and prevent and hence earlier this morning, India exercised its right to respond to deter such more cross-border terrorism... Our actions were measured and non-escalatory, proportionate and responsible. They focused on dismantling terrorists' infrastructure," he said.
Wing Commander Vyomika Singh informed that a total of nine terror sites were targeted and successfully destroyed. She asserted that the locations were selected so that there was no damage to civilians and their infrastructures.
"Operation Sindoor was launched by the Indian Armed Forces to deliver justice to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and their families. Nine terrorist camps were targeted and successfully destroyed... The locations were so selected to avoid damage to civilian infrastructures and loss of any civilian lives," she said.
Col Sofiya Qureshi showed some videos of the strikes destroying terror camps.The Indian Armed Forces launched 'Operation Sindoor' early Wednesday.Twenty-six people were killed in the Pahalgam terror attack. The government had said that the perpetrators will face severe punishment. (ANI)