‘I bow to supreme sacrifice of brave jawans’: Defence minister Rajnath Singh in J&K's Srinagar | Watch

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh began an important visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday to assess the overall security situation in the region.

It is his first trip to Jammu and Kashmir since Operation Sindoor. India carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure early on May 7 following which Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9 and 10.

Top military officials will brief the defence minister on various aspects of the prevailing security situation, PTI reported citing officials.

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As reported by ANI, during his address at Badami Bagh Cantonment, Singh paid tribute to the fallen soldiers, stating, “I bow to the supreme sacrifice made by our brave jawans in their fight against terrorism and terrorists.”

I pay respect to their memory. I also pay respect to the innocent civilians who were killed in Pahalgam. I also salute the valour of the injured soldiers and pray to God that they may recover at the earliest, he added.

“I feel proud to be here among you amid such adverse conditions. The entire nation is proud of whatever you all did during Operation Sindoor, under the able leadership and guidance of PM Narendra Modi. Before being your Defence Minister, I am an Indian citizen. Besides being the Defence Minister, I am here to express gratitude to you as an Indian citizen,” Singh added.

Also Read: Operation Sindoor: 8 Pakistani Air Force bases India wreaked havoc on with ‘precision strikes’

The Pakistani actions were strongly responded to by the Indian side. The Indian military targeted eight Pakistani air bases with missiles and other long-range weapons on May 10 in retaliation for Pakistan's attempts to strikes 26 military facilities, PTI reported.

“Today, from the land of Srinagar, I want to raise this question whether nuclear weapons are safe in the hands of such an irresponsible and rogue nation. I believe that Pakistan's nuclear weapons should be taken under the supervision of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),” he said.

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Earlier, Rajnath Singh inspected the shells which were dropped in Jammu and Kashmir during cross border shelling from Pakistan. The Defence Ministers visit to Srinagar follows the Prime Minister's visit to the Adampur Air base on Tuesday.

The hostilities ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions following talks between the Director Generals of Military Operations of both sides on the afternoon of May 10.

(This is a developing story)

(With inputs from agencies)