Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday that India had shown the mettle of its retaliation via Operation Sindoor, undertaken after the gruesome terror attack in Pahalgam.
Singh emphasized that the gallantry and coordination exhibited by India's forces during the operation has demonstrated that "victory is no longer an exception for us."
The defence minister was addressing a group of war veterans of 1965.
"We launched Operation Sindoor and showed the enemy just how strong our retaliation can be. The coordination and courage with which our team worked has proven that victory is no longer any exception for us. Victory has become our habit. And we must always maintain this habit," Singh said.
He further added that following the Pahalgam terror attack, the government was adamant on holding to account those who were responsible for it.
"Whenever that incident comes to our mind, our heart becomes heavy. What happened there shook all of us to the core. But that incident could not break our morale."
"Our prime minister has taken this resolve that this time the terrorists will be taught such a lesson that they would never have even imagined," he said.
After the Pahalgam attack, where 26 people died, India initiated Operation Sindoor on May 7, attacking terrorist bases in Pakistan-occupied territories.
The military operation resulted in four days of severe fighting, and it ended with a decision to suspend operations on May 10.
Singh also touched upon India's past difficulties with its neighbors since Independence.
"Challenges of one kind or another have always come before us. But this is the specialty of us Indians, that we did not sit back accepting these challenges as fate. We worked hard and shaped our own destiny, created our own future," Singh said.
