Prime Minister Narendra Modi has linked the recent Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives, to the 1947 Partition of India, asserting that the country's failure to heed Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's counsel has led to decades of persistent terrorism.
Speaking at the 20th anniversary celebration of Gujarat's Urban Growth Story in Gandhinagar, Modi reflected on the historical decisions made during Partition. He stated, "When the Partition happened in 1947, the chains should have been cut at that time, but instead, the country was divided into three parts. Soon after, the first terrorist attack was reported in Kashmir, and Pakistan occupied one part of Kashmir."
Modi emphasized that if the then-government had acted on Patel's recommendation to continue military operations until reclaiming Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), the trajectory of regional security might have been different. "If we had killed these Mujahideens; if we had listened to Sardar Patel, he wanted the Army not to stop until we get back PoK," he remarked.
Highlighting the continuity of terrorism since Partition, Modi described the Pahalgam attack as a "distorted form" of the initial aggression faced in 1947. He lauded the Indian Army's consistent efforts in defending the nation, stating, "The Indian Army has defeated Pakistan every time. Pakistan understood that it cannot win from India."
In response to the Pahalgam incident, India launched "Operation Sindoor" on May 7, targeting nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Modi underscored that this operation signifies a shift in India's approach, moving from viewing such acts as proxy wars to recognizing them as deliberate strategies by adversaries.