AGENCIES/ CHENNAI
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said, the post-Pulwama surgical strike in Balakot is not a military operation, but only an anti-terror move, backed by credible information.
Later. Talking to MEDIA PERSONS, she said there had been no civilian casualty in the surgical strike. She pointed out that, Pakistan has all along been informed by India, not only by the present government but also by the UPA regime, about the terror infrastructure that is active on its soil.
She said there had been no action on the part of Pakistan in dismantling the terror networks, necessitating the surgical strike. She charged that the handlers of terrorists involved in the Mumbai attack were not brought before justice, despite giving dossiers about them to Pakistan.
When asked about the number of casualties in the surgical strike, Ms Sitharaman clarified that the Foreign Secretary in his briefing did not give any figure on death toll, adding, it is the Government’s statement on the action.
She launched the PM Shram Yogi Maandhan scheme in Chennai, along with Tamil Nadu state ministers this morning.