Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 7 : Legendary actor Anupam Kher lauded Indian Armed Forces for carrying out precision strikes on terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) in response to the Pahalgam terror attack.
Speaking to ANI, Kher said, "Operation Sindoor is a befitting response to those who try to bring terror to our country, who try to destroy our sisters' sindoor. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this operation was carried out. Our citizens felt a sense of security when they woke up in the morning. Also, my chest swelled with pride when I saw two women officers, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and Colonel Sophia Qureshi, giving the official media briefing on Operation Sindoor."
He also emphasised giving due respect to our armed forces who work day and night to protect the nation from enemies.
"It is very important for our citizens to do a bit for the nation, salute to armed forces for making us feel safe. They sacrifice their lives for us. We should say thanks to them. I would also like to thank PM Modi. Be it the 1962 war or the 1965 war, I have seen many wars in my life, and I always feel like saluting our armed forces. Jai Hind, Jai Bharat," Kher said.
This operation was a retaliatory response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in the deaths of 26 civilians, including one Nepali national.
Hours after India conducted strikes on terrorist sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh held a media briefing in the national capital to share the details of the operation.
Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, who briefed the media alongside Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, stated that 'Operation Sindoor' was launched to deliver justice to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and their families.Singh reported that a total of nine terror sites were targeted and successfully destroyed.
She emphasised that the locations were chosen to ensure there was no damage to civilians or their infrastructure."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", Wing Commander Vyomika Singh said.
Col Sofiya Qureshi presented the videos of the destruction of terror camps, including from the Muridke and where David Headley and Ajmal Kasab, perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, received training. Other than Muridke, Sarjal camp in Sialkot, Markaz Ahle Hadith, Barnala and Markaz Abbas, Kotli and Mehmoona Joya camp, Sialkot, were targeted in the strikes conducted by the Indian Army, Col Qureshi informed.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that the attack on Pahalgam was driven by an objective of undermining the return of normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir.
"The 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...the family members were deliberately traumatised through the manner of killing, accompanied by the exhortation that they should take back the message. The attack was clearly driven by the objective of undermining normalcy returning to Kashmir," he said.
Earlier on Wednesday evening, mock drills were carried out across major cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Gwalior, and Jaipur, to evaluate local response capabilities to security challenges.