Rajnath warns Pakistan: Operation Sindoor is not over

Issuing a stern warning to Pakistan not to resume supporting terrorism against India, defence minister Rajnath Singh said that Operation Sindoor was not over and if Islamabad made the same mistake again the response will be even harsher and hostile neighbour will not be able to recover.

"Operation Sindoor is not over yet. It is just a pause, a warning. If Pakistan makes the same mistake again, India's response will be even harsher, and this time it will not even get a chance to recover," Singh said while addressing the crew and senior officers on board INS Vikrant, India's indigenously built aircraft carrier that is the mainstay of the Indian carrier group.

Singh praised the role of the Indian Navy, saying that the force moved quickly after the Pahalgam terrorist attack and such was its dominance that the Pakistan naval fleet remained bottled up at Karachi, unable to deploy in the waters of the Arabian Sea.

The defence minister tough talk which was shorn of any ambiguity matches the warnings issued by Pakistan by Prime Minister Narendra Modi following the ceasefire of May 10. Modi, Singh and home minister Amit Shah have not minced words in emphasising the military dominance achieved by the Indian armed forces while underlining that it was Pakistan that sued for cessation in hostilities.

The defence minister said that if Pakistan were to force a conflict again, the Indian Navy will play an active role and open fire. The carrier group deployed in the recent confrontation is capable of launching the naval version of Brahmos and the complement of MIG 29Ks have considerable firepower and a "stand off" capacity to hit targets in the south and south-west Pakistan.