NSA Ajit Doval reveals PM Modi’s directive after the Pahalgam terror attack: “We will go after them” wherever they are, detailing the resolve behind Operation Sindoor.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval has revealed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s clear directive after the Pahalgam terror attack: India would go after those responsible for the killings “wherever they are”, whether on earth, in the sky or in hell.
Doval’s remarks, made in the Discovery docuseries Declassified: Operation Sindoor, offer a first-hand account of the resolve behind India’s military response to the April 22, 2025 terror attack.
Recalling his interaction with PM Modi after the attack, Doval said the Prime Minister was determined to identify the perpetrators and ensure they were pursued.
“The Prime Minister said, ‘Zameen mein ho, aasmaan mein ho, paataal mein ho, jahan bhi, we will go after them’,” Doval said.
The NSA added that the message was not merely about the immediate military response but reflected the government’s resolve to continue the fight against terrorism.
“When the Prime Minister says that Operation Sindoor is alive, his intention is that the fight against terror will only be over till the last terrorist is eliminated,” he said.
‘Who Has Done It? I Want It Immediately’
Doval also recalled the Prime Minister’s first response after returning from Saudi Arabia, where he had been when the Pahalgam attack took place.
“Prime Minister returned. Foreign Secretary had come to receive him. Then at the airport itself we had a meeting.
First he wanted to know all the facts. And then his first question to me was – ‘Who has done it? Who is responsible? We should be very clear who the perpetrators are. I want it immediately,’” Doval said.
He credited India’s intelligence agencies for quickly establishing the identity and responsibility of the perpetrators.
“Thanks to our intelligence agencies, I think they did a brilliant job, and within a very short time, we were able to arrive at the conclusion,” he said.
The April 22 attack in Pahalgam claimed 26 lives after terrorists targeted civilians.
India subsequently launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, carrying out precision strikes against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
‘No Limits’ In Fight To Protect India’s Sovereignty
Doval said the objective of Operation Sindoor was specifically to destroy enemy camps, particularly those responsible for the Pahalgam attack.
“We had decided the objective of the operation as destruction of the enemy camps, particularly those who had been responsible for the Pahalgam attack,” he said.
He further stressed that India’s restraint should not be interpreted as an inability or unwillingness to act.
“Message to the world is very clear – India’s generosity or India being tolerant should not be mistaken for its weakness. India can take risks, India can hit hard, irrespective of the consequences,” Doval said.
“Once anything starts, we are willing to go as far as it is necessary for a nation to preserve its sovereignty, and there are no limits on that. We fight till the last drop of blood,” he added.
Operation Sindoor subsequently expanded into a wider military confrontation after Pakistan launched offensives against India.
India carried out counter-offensives under the same operation, with the conflict lasting nearly 88 hours before an understanding was reached on the evening of May 10.
‘Talks And Terror Cannot Go Together’
Former Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi also featured in the docuseries, saying Pakistan was clearly told that talks and terror could not proceed together.
The operation involved India’s armed forces targeting terror infrastructure and was accompanied by diplomatic, economic and information-related measures aimed at strengthening India’s strategic position.
India also placed the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in abeyance with immediate effect, pending Pakistan’s credible and irrevocable renunciation of support for cross-border terrorism.
The government had described the measure as part of its response to Pakistan-backed terrorism, while the strategy under Operation Sindoor combined military action with efforts to build international support and strengthen domestic preparedness.
Operation Sindoor And The Pahalgam Perpetrators
The Pahalgam attack became the trigger for Operation Sindoor, with India targeting terror camps and infrastructure linked to the perpetrators and planners.
The three terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack were later killed in Operation Mahadev by the Army, CRPF and Jammu and Kashmir Police.
PM Modi had also described Operation Sindoor as more than just a military operation, saying it reflected the feelings of millions of Indians and represented an unbroken pledge of justice.
