New Delhi, May 12: Calling the Pahalgam terror attack a personal tragedy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday dedicated the bravery and courage of the armed forces involved in Operation Sindoor to every mother, sister and daughter of the nation.

Addressing the nation, PM Modi said: “Now every terror group knows the cost of targeting sindoor (vermilion) of Indian women.”

He said the attack was a personal tragedy which saddened him a lot.

“I salute the grit of the armed forces, intelligence agencies and scientists for their grit that helped Operation Sindoor achieve its objective,” he said.

Earlier, Director General of Military Operations Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai held talks on a hotline with his Pakistani counterpart for the first time since the understanding on ceasefire.

The Indian and Pakistani military operations chiefs spoke to each other around 5 p.m. and discussed ways to restore calm on the border, an official said.

According to official information, Pakistan has said that it will not take this conflict forward and also indicated its willingness not to violate the ceasefire.

The talks between Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) revolved around stopping military actions and firing on the lines of understanding reached after India’s anti-terror Operation Sindoor was halted on Pakistan’s request on May 10.

During the day Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai said the multi-layered counter drone and air defence grid proved to be the decisive shield that foiled all Pakistan air attacks on the night of May 9 and 10 during Operation Sindoor.

The Army official said they were already anticipating an air attack due to which they put in place a multi-layered counter drone and air defence system.

Justifying the logic behind Operation Sindoor, DGMO Ghai said the vessel of Pakistan’s sin got full with the Pahalgam terror attack and the time had come to teach a lesson.

Air Marshal A.K. Bharti also criticised the Pakistani military for not appreciating India’s intent of limiting its offensive against terrorists. “Our fight was against terror and on May 7 we hit only terror hubs but the Pakistani Army converted it into its own fight by supporting terrorists,” he said.

He described the multi-layered and integrated air defence (AD) as an impregnable shield which foiled all attempts made by Pakistani forces – including Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles – to violate Indian air space.

The performance of the older battle-proven systems was stellar in addition to the Akash system, he said.

--IANS

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