NEW DELHI, MAY 12 : Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti on Monday termed India’s ongoing military offensive against Pakistan a necessary response to persistent provocation, invoking a powerful verse by Hindi poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar to underline the message being sent across the border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Responding to a question at a press conference about the symbolic use of Dinkar\u2019s poetry in a recent video presentation by the armed forces, Air Marshal Bharti quoted the Ramcharitmanas: “Vinay na maanat jaladh jad gaye teen din beeti. Bole Ram sakop tab, bhay binu hoye na preeti”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Roughly translated, the line means: “The ocean, unmoved by polite requests, remained obstinate for three days. Then Lord Rama, in anger, said \u2014 without fear, love does not arise”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Further in the defence briefing, Bharti also said that India’s robust air defence system effectively thwarted Pakistan’s attempts to target Indian installations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The Integrated Air Command and Control system thwarted Pakistan’s military offensives. Our fight was against terror infrastructure and terrorists but the Pakistan military chose to support terrorists and widened the conflict,” the top Indian Air Force (IAF) officer said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bharti also said that all of India’s military bases and systems continue to remain fully operational and ready to undertake any mission if the need arises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Air Marshal said India was fighting terrorists, and called it a pity that Pakistan chose to get involved. “It is a pity that the Pakistani military chose to intervene and that for terrorists, and hence we chose to respond,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His remarks came two days after India and Pakistan reached an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
India launched Operation Sindoor on early May 7 to destroy nine terror infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (POK) in retaliation to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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