Afghanistan’s former Vice President Amrullah Saleh has backed India’s Operation Sindoor against Pakistan to avenge the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. Saleh tagged India’s retaliatory strikes against the neighbouring country as ‘bold, unprecedented’ and sharply criticised Pakistan’s attempt to label the attack as “cowardly”.
Referring to his earlier post dated May 4, where he metaphorically stated that “India has placed a very long rope around its enemy’s neck instead of using an electric chair for execution,” Saleh noted that India has “tightened the rope by nine knots”. The “nine knots” here refers to the nine terror-linked locations targeted in the precision strikes, associated with Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen.
‘Operation Sindoor was bold, unprecedented’: Saleh
“India’s retaliation was bold, unprecedented, and true to its promise, tightening the rope by nine knots. It still seems a long rope strategy, as it targeted the ‘veritable arm’ first,” Saleh wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).
He went on to slam Pakistan, saying that “what India executed was anything but cowardly”. “I find it puzzling that Pakistan labels it a ‘Buzdelana’ (cowardly – goat-hearted) attack, a term reserved for disguised terrorist attacks, suicide bombings, doing the dirty work of others, and driven by hidden and malicious agendas,” before adding, “What India executed was anything but cowardly – it was a courageous, forthright strike.”
“Delhi took responsibility for doing it [Operation Sindoor] while in military uniform and by an officer named Qureshi (Quresh is the tribe from which the Prophet Mohammad PBUH hailed),” he went on to say.
‘Wish I could’ve carried out Sindoor-style operation in Afghanistan’
He further expressed the desire to carry out “Sindoor-style” operations against the Quetta Shura or other terror outfits in Afghanistan when he was in power. “I wish I had such capability under my command when the Quetta Shura was active. It’s equally baffling why NATO and the U.S. never launched a similar “Sindoor-style” operation against the Quetta Shura, HQN or other well-known terrorist networks. Perhaps their focus on the Doha deal for so long held them back. A new paradigm is setting in.”
Fall of Kabul to Taliban
In 2021, following the fall of Kabul to the Taliban, President Ashraf Ghani fled the country while Saleh took refuge in the Panjshir Valley and declared himself the country’s caretaker president. There, he joined forces with Ahmad Massoud to form the National Resistance Front (NRF) in opposition to the Taliban. However, the Taliban swiftly captured Panjshir within a month, forcing Saleh to flee to Tajikistan. He has remained in exile since then, continuing to support the NRF from abroad.
Operation Sindoor – India attacks Pakistan to avenge Pahalgam
Operation Sindoor is a 25-minute targeted attack against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) carried out by the Indian Armed Forces. The attack began at 1:05 AM and went on until 1:30 AM. The name ‘Operation Sindoor’ draws inspiration from the red vermilion traditionally worn by Hindu women as a symbol of marriage. Following the operation, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar admitted that 10 members of his family and four close associates were killed.
In a statement, the Ministry of Defence said, “Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military activities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in the selection of targets and the method of execution.”