Panaji

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday said Operation Sindoor was not against any country or religion but its target was terrorism.

Through this operation, India has demonstrated that it has power and intent to destroy terrorism, he said.

Indian armed forces carried out missile strikes in the wee hours of Wednesday on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, including the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba's base Muridke. The military strikes were carried out under Operation Sindoor two weeks after the massacre of 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.

Talking to reporters, Sawant said, "Operation Sindoor executed by our armed forces under the leadership of Prime minister Narendra Modi was not against any country or religion."

"Terrorists who dared to wipe off the sindoor (vermillion mark) of our sisters at Pahalgam were on our target. The target was terrorism. We took revenge of what the terrorists did at Pahalgam," he said.

The vermillion mark, or sindoor, symbolizes the marital status of Hindu women, and its use as the operation's name resonated powerfully in light of the April 22 Pahalgam massacre. In the brutal attack, terrorists targeted and killed men - including newlyweds - after verifying their religious identity.

Sawant said Pakistani Army officers, by saluting the bodies of the terrorists killed in the strike by India during their funeral, have reconfirmed our faith that they support terrorism.

"India has shown its might and intent to strike back at terrorism," he said.

Two women officers - Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh - on Wednesday led the Indian government briefing hours after the missile strikes.

"One of these officers was a Muslim. That is why I say that our fight is not against any country or religion but purely against terrorism," the CM said.

Talking about the mock drills held in Goa on Thursday to test the preparedness of various agencies to deal with emergencies, Sawant said the exercises were conducted successfully in both districts of the state.

The exercises showed our preparedness to face any eventuality, he said.