India-Pakistan Leaders Speak Out

India has launched a military attack called "Operation Sindoor" on Pakistan-administered Kashmir and mainland Pakistan. In response, Pakistan carried out retaliatory attacks on India by land and air. This exchange of attacks has escalated tensions between the two countries to a peak. Alongside the military confrontation, a war of words is also ongoing between the political leaders of both nations, with threats and counter-threats being issued.

Following India’s missile strike, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated, “Pakistan has every right to respond decisively and take full revenge for this unprovoked Indian attack, and an appropriate response is being given.” He added, “The people and armed forces of Pakistan know how to face the enemy.”

Former Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar remarked that India is “playing with fire.” She also described the Indian strike as “unjustified, baseless, and a clear violation of international law.” In an interview with Al Jazeera, she said, “India’s actions show they see themselves as judge, jury, and executioner. They are not hesitating to launch missiles inside a nuclear-armed country, believing they will face no consequences.”

Meanwhile, immediately after the strike, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar posted on X, saying the world should show “zero tolerance for terrorism.” He shared an image with the caption "Operation Sindoor." The image includes two English letters "O," one of which contains a round box of red sindoor (vermilion). Married Hindu women commonly apply sindoor in the parting of their hair as a sign of marriage. Incidentally, most of those killed in Pahalgam were Hindu men.

At a press conference in Delhi, India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri gave details about the strike on Pakistan. He stated, “India exercised its right to retaliate against cross-border terrorism. Our strikes were focused on dismantling terrorist infrastructure. This was not provocative, and no Pakistani military installations were targeted.” He added that the Indian military launched at least 24 missiles into Pakistan in just 25 minutes.

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah congratulated the armed forces for "Operation Sindoor," stating that the attack was launched to avenge the “brutal killing of our innocent brothers in Pahalgam.” He added that the Modi government is determined to respond appropriately to any attack on India or its people and reaffirmed India’s commitment to eradicating terrorism at its root.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the military operation carried out in Pakistan a "moment of pride." He informed his cabinet that the mission was carried out as planned, “without any error,” and that the retaliatory strike was “successfully accomplished.” He added, “The whole nation was watching us. We are proud of our armed force."