‘Economic development cannot take place if we have war-like situations’: Dhankhar

Dhankhar said the Operation Sindoor strikes, carried out deep inside Pakistani territory, were precise and in line with India’s principle of targeting only terrorists

PANAJI: Vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday praised Indian armed forces for striking at terror infrastructure in Pakistan and asserted that Operation Sindoor had sent a clear message to the world that terrorism will not go unpunished.

Vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar at the inauguration ceremony of three projects, including a 3 Mega Watt Solar Power Plant at Mormugao Port in South Goa on Wednesday. (Vice-President of India - X)

Dhankhar said the strikes, carried out deep inside Pakistani territory, were precise and in line with India’s principle of targeting only terrorists. “No one is asking for proof because the terrorists targeted revealed the proof to the entire global fraternity because coffins were escorted by military force of that country, by political force of that country and by terrorists. A great achievement, perhaps unrivaled in the annals of democratic functioning,” Dhankar said.

The vice president was speaking at an event at Goa’s Mormugao Port where he inaugurated three projects.

Dhankhar also complimented the Coast Guard for keeping a close watch on the country’s maritime frontier and stressed that peace was important for economic growth.

“Economic development cannot take place if we have war-like situations. Peace is fundamental to growth and development. Peace comes from strength — strength in security, strength in economy, strength in development, and deep commitment, unflinching commitment, unqualified commitment to nationalism,” he said, adding India would need an eight-fold increase in per capita income by 2047 to realise the target of becoming a developed country.

In his address, Dhankhar also emphasised that enforcing rules-based order at sea was increasingly challenging in view of rapidly shifting geopolitical realities where global trade, strategic choke points, cyber threats and transnational crimes intersect.

“It is becoming very important that rules-based order on sea prevails, but securing it is no less a challenge. India’s maritime security must be resilient, proactive and future-ready…Let us catch up with shipbuilding. Let us be leaders in shipbuilding,” he said.