Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh talks about Operation Sindoor and Pahalgam during interaction with 1965 war veterans

In carrying out Operation Sindoor following the dastardly terror attack in Pahalgam, India showed its enemy how strong the country’s retaliation can be, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday (September 19, 2025).

Mr. Singh also said that the coordination and courage with which India’s armed forces worked in executing the operation has proven that “victory is no longer an exception for us”.

The Defence Minister was interacting with a group of 1965 war veterans.

“We launched Operation Sindoor and showed the enemy just how strong our retaliation can be. The coordination and courage with which our team worked has proven that victory is no longer any exception for us. Victory has become our habit. And we must always maintain this habit,” Mr. Singh said.

The Defence Minister said following the Pahalgam terror attack, the government was determined to punish those involved in it.

“Whenever that incident comes to our mind, our heart becomes heavy. What happened there shook all of us to the core. But that incident could not break our morale.”

“Our Prime Minister has taken this resolve that this time the terrorists will be taught such a lesson that they would never have even imagined,” he said.

In response to the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 people dead, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terrorist infrastructure in territories controlled by Pakistan.

The strikes triggered four days of intense clashes that ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions on May 10.

Mr. Singh also said that India as a nation has not been very fortunate in matters concerning its neighbours since Independence.

“Challenges of one kind or another have always come before us. But this is the specialty of us Indians, that we did not sit back accepting these challenges as fate. We worked hard and shaped our own destiny, created our own future,” Mr. Singh said.