Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said Pulwama attack would not have happened if a strong reply was given after the attack in Mumbai in November 2008.
He also noted that the aerial strike on a training camp inBalakot was successful with Pakistan not allowing the media to visit the sitefor over 40 days.
Modi told Times Now in an interview that no patriotic Indiancould afford to sit back after the February 14 Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPFpersonnel were killed.
“If we remain silent at a time like this, then theperpetrators will get into the habit of thinking that the government is notstrong and they can get away. If action had been taken after the 26/11 Mumbaiattacks, Pulwama would not have happened,” he said.
Modi said no major terror incident has happened in the USafter the 9/11 attack as their government showed strength.
“Whenever such incidents happened in the past in India,even when the Pandits were driven out of the Kashmir Valley, if strong stepshad been taken at that time then we would not have faced 40 years of terrorismand lost thousands of soldiers. But at that time politics got in the way, votebanks got in the way,” Modi said.
Asked about people who link Balakot strikes with elections,Modi said it is a reflection of their thinking.
“They have never thought there is something callednational policy which is much bigger than politics. This is beyond theirunderstanding. I find it very painful to even descend into this kind ofargument.”
He said the sacrifice of 40 personnel meant a new warningbell of danger.
“This had to be answered. I had decided after the Uriattack that now the time had come to carry out action where the terrorists getshelter and weapons and where they get their training. That is why on the veryfirst day (after Pulwama attack) I gave a free hand to the Army,” thePrime Minister said.
He said the Balakot strikes were carried out very carefullyand it was a successful operation.
“It boosted the morale of our armed forces. Now theterrorists will have to think 50 times before doing anything”.
Answering a query on ‘strategic restraint’, Modi said itmeans hiding shortcomings and the world respects the powerful.
Asked about suspicions about success of air strikes, Modisaid it was Pakistan which announced that aerial strikes had taken place.
“If nothing had happened, why would they announce?Secondly, after the Uri surgical strike, Pakistan showed the media that nothinghad happened within 24 hours, because in a radius of 250 km, any corner can beshown. It was easy. Why did Pakistan not let media visit the Balakot airstrikesite for 43 days? Even today, ordinary citizens are not permitted to go there.Why is that?”
He said statements from Pakistan say they want to have talksbut referred to its contradictory claims after the air strikes. “Whyshould we trust Pakistan?” he asked.