With an S-400 missile defence system forming the backdrop, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday issued a stern warning to Pakistan from the Adampur Air Base, declaring that India would annihilate any further threats emerging from Pakistani soil.
The message came during his first address to the armed forces since Operation Sindoor, India’s four-day counter-offensive that destroyed nine terrorist sites and damaged eight Pakistani military installations in response to cross-border aggression.
“Aapne jo kiya wo abhutpurva, akalpniya aur adbhut hai (What you have achieved is unprecedented, unimaginable and amazing),” the Prime Minister said in a 27-minute address to uniformed personnel of the Indian Air Force. The speech echoed his nationwide address on Monday night.
Modi’s visit to the Adampur base — located just 100 km from the Pakistan border — carried significant symbolic weight. The location was one of the sites Pakistan had falsely claimed to have destroyed, along with Indian S-400 missile launchers. However, TV coverage of the Prime Minister’s visit, including visuals of the intact S-400 system, dismissed those claims.
“Operation Sindoor has drawn a clear ‘Lakshman Rekha’ for Pakistan,” Modi declared, underlining that while India remains a peaceful nation, any provocation would be met with overwhelming force.
Donning a Western Air Command cap featuring the embroidered trishul insignia, Modi hailed the courage and professionalism of the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force. “When our drones and missiles strike the enemy, they hear ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’. This is not a slogan, it’s our soldiers’ pledge,” he said.
He added that the international patrons of terrorism must now realise that any attempt to harm India would lead to their complete destruction. “The tales of your valour will be etched in history forever,” the Prime Minister told the troops.
Adampur is India’s second-largest air base, home to both Rafale and MiG-29 squadrons. It has a long history of strategic importance, having played a critical role in the 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan.
The Prime Minister’s surprise early morning visit concluded with chants of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ echoing across the base — a sentiment he said now resonates across enemy lines.