On 29th July 2025, Union Home Minister Amit Shah delivered a powerful and emotionally charged speech in the Lok Sabha, shedding light on the swift and strategic military operations that followed the Pahalgam terror attack. As Parliament discussed Operation Sindoor, Shah provided a detailed account of how India avenged the bloodshed inflicted by Pakistan-backed terrorists and exposed Islamabad’s undeniable role in harboring jihadist elements.

Before delving into the intricacies of the operations, Shah expressed his deep condolences to the victims of what he called a “Pakistan-sponsored Islamic terror attack” in Pahalgam.

“In a joint Operation Mahadev, the Indian Army, CRPF and J&K Police have neutralised three terrorists who were involved in the Pahalgam terror attack. Suleman, Afghan and Jibran were killed in yesterday’s operation and the people who used to supply food to them were detained earlier. Once the bodies of these terrorists were brought to Srinagar, they were identified by those who were kept detained by our agencies,” he stated.

According to Shah, the trio of terrorists—Suleman, also known as Hashim Musa, Afghan, and Jibran—were eliminated in Operation Mahadev, carried out by a coordinated strike team comprising the Indian Army, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and the Jammu and Kashmir Police. These militants were directly responsible for the brutal killings of innocent civilians in Baisaran Valley, located near Pahalgam. The operation was described as a "meticulously planned encounter", executed after days of intelligence gathering and surveillance.

Suleman, Shah informed, was no ordinary militant. He was an A-category commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), one of the most notorious Pakistani Islamic terror outfits, with confirmed involvement in both the Pahalgam and Gagangeer attacks. Indian intelligence agencies have gathered solid evidence implicating him in these deadly strikes.

His fellow slain terrorists, Afghan and Jibran, were also classified as high-value A-grade operatives of LeT. Their death was seen as a significant victory for Indian counter-terror operations.

“I want to tell the House and the nation that these three terrorists had killed our innocent people in Baisaran Valley. These three were terrorists and all of them have been killed,” Shah reiterated, publicly thanking the brave soldiers of the CRPF, J&K Police, and the Indian Army for their unwavering commitment.

The Minister recounted an especially heart-wrenching moment from his April visit to the grieving families of Pahalgam victims.

“Soon after Pahalgam attack, I had met the affected families. I saw standing before me a woman who had been widowed just 6 days after her wedding- I can never forget that scene. I want to tell all families today that Modi ji neutralised those who sent the terrorists, and today our security forces killed those who committed the killings.”

This sentiment resonated deeply across the House. Shah emphasized that every aspect of the investigation and counter-operation was backed by solid forensics and evidence.

“… NIA had already arrested those who gave them shelter. Those who fed them were detained. When the terrorists’ dead bodies reached Srinagar, they were identified as the three people who carried out the terror attack in Pahalgam… Once the bodies of these terrorists were brought to Srinagar, they were identified by those who were kept detained by our agencies. The FSL report of the cartridges from the terror attack was already ready… Yesterday, the rifles of the three terrorists were seized and matched with the FSL reports… Further tests were carried out in Chandigarh yesterday, after that it was confirmed that these three were those who carried out the terror attack…”

Yet, not all in the House welcomed the news. Shah criticized the Opposition’s lukewarm reaction, calling their visible discomfort an insult to the national sentiment.

“Operation Sindoor killed those who sent the terrorists and Operation Mahadev killed those who carried out the attack… I thought that after hearing this news, there would be a wave of happiness in the ruling and the Opposition parties, ‘Magar Syaahi padd gayi inke chehre pe’ (Their faces are smeared with ink)… What kind of politics is this?”

Shah did not mince words when responding to Congress leader P. Chidambaram, who questioned the origin of the attackers.

“Yesterday they (Congress) were asking us where the terrorists came from and who was responsible for it. Of course, it is our responsibility as we are in power. Yesterday, former Home Minister Chidambaram ji raised the question -what is the proof that the terrorists came from Pakistan? I want to ask him what he will get by saving Pakistan. When he says this, it means they are giving a clean chit to Pakistan…”

The Home Minister then revealed that Indian intelligence had irrefutable proof that the terrorists were Pakistani nationals, including their voter ID cards, weapons, and even chocolates, all traced back to Pakistan.

“Chidambaran, a former Indian Home Minister is giving clean-chit to Pakistan. He is raising question over why India attack Pakistan,” Shah added.

Setting the stage for Operation Sindoor, Shah recalled crucial decisions taken at the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meetings chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 23rd and 30th April. India had placed the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, closed the Attari border, suspended SAARC visas for Pakistani nationals, and reduced Pakistan’s diplomatic presence in India from 55 to 30. The government made it clear that Pahalgam would be avenged not just by tracking terrorists but also by targeting their handlers and infrastructure.

“Operation Sindoor was launched on 7th May and carried out between 1:04 am and 1:24 am. In this operation, nine terror sites in Pakistan were destroyed. No Pakistani civilians were killed in this attack,” Shah confirmed.

He added:

“Not a single civilian killed during Operation Sindoor, only terrorists and terror bases.”

The aftermath saw the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) from India informing his Pakistani counterpart that the strikes were in self-defence.

“It cannot be like how it happened during Manmohan Singh’s government, that terrorists come and kill us and we sit quietly…We killed terrorists who bled India under the Congress govt…”

According to Shah, over 100 Pakistani terrorists were eliminated in Operation Sindoor. He drew a clear contrast between the current government’s bold approach and the former UPA government’s policy of diplomacy and dossiers.

“We carry out surgical strikes, airstrikes and Operation Sindoor”, Shah said, calling out India’s historic restraint as a mistake.

He ended by reprimanding former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, calling the ceasefire during the Kashmir conflict a historic blunder that led to the birth of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).