Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his 75th birthday, asserted that the recent confession by a top Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) commander regarding losses during Operation Sindoor exemplifies the resolve of “New India,” which responds decisively to terrorism and fears no nuclear blackmail from adversaries. Addressing a public rally in Dhar district, Madhya Pradesh, on September 17, 2025, Modi highlighted the viral video of JeM commander Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, who lamented the devastation to JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar’s family and the outfit’s Bahawalpur headquarters during India’s May 7 strikes.
“Just yesterday, the nation and the world saw another Pakistani terrorist tearfully narrate his ordeal. This is New India—it fears no one’s nuclear threats… It enters the enemy’s house and strikes,” Modi declared, emphasizing that India’s armed forces had brought Pakistan “to its knees within the blink of an eye.” He added, “The nation gives utmost priority to the security of Mother India. Pakistani terrorists wiped the Sindoor of our sisters and daughters. We did Operation Sindoor and destroyed terror camps.”
Modi accused Pakistan of duplicity on terrorism, stating that the JeM admission has exposed Islamabad’s terror infrastructure before the international community, including bodies like the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). “Jaish terrorists have exposed Pakistan. They admitted that India’s strike destroyed their bases,” he thundered, underscoring that New India prioritizes national security and will not tolerate nuclear intimidation.
Context of Operation Sindoor and JeM’s Admission
Operation Sindoor was a tri-service precision strike launched by India on May 7, 2025, in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, where Pakistan-backed militants killed 26 civilians, mostly tourists. The operation targeted nine terror facilities linked to JeM, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Hizbul Mujahideen in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), including JeM’s key Subhan Allah complex in Bahawalpur. India reported eliminating key terror hubs, while Pakistan initially denied major damage.
The JeM commander’s video, which surfaced on September 16, 2025, provided the first detailed internal confirmation of the strikes’ impact. Kashmiri stated that Azhar’s family— including his sister, her husband, nephew, niece, and children—was “torn into pieces,” with 10 relatives and four aides killed. Azhar himself had briefly acknowledged the losses in May but downplayed them, inviting funerals in Bahawalpur. This admission validates India’s claims and highlights the operation’s success in dismantling terror networks responsible for attacks like the 2019 Pulwama bombing.
Modi’s remarks echo his earlier statements post-operation, where he vowed no tolerance for “nuclear blackmail” and praised the armed forces for their “measured, precise, and non-escalatory” response. The rally in Dhar, part of Modi’s Madhya Pradesh tour, also touched on domestic issues like self-reliance in defense, contrasting it with past governments’ approaches. The Prime Minister’s address has resonated widely, reinforcing India’s zero-tolerance policy on cross-border terrorism amid ongoing regional tensions.
