Kumar Bahukhandi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi during Mann Ki Baat. In the 138th episode of the programme on Sunday, September 27, 2026, he recalled the 2016 surgical strikes ahead of their 10th anniversary and said the operation presented a new example of India’s counter-terrorism policy before the world. (File Photo)
In 138th episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’, Prime Minister recalls 2016 military operation ahead of its 10th anniversary; says India follows zero-tolerance approach towards terrorism
Key Highlights
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi recalls the September 28-29, 2016 surgical strikes during Sunday’s Mann Ki Baat.
- Says the operation presented a new example of India’s counter-terrorism policy before the world.
- Describes the strikes as a decisive response to the pain India had suffered from terrorist attacks.
- Refers to the Balakot airstrike and Operation Sindoor while underlining India’s response to terrorism.
- Recalls the September 2008 Delhi serial blasts and the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
- Says India today follows a zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism.
- The September 27 broadcast was the 138th episode of Mann Ki Baat.
New Delhi, September 27, 2026: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday recalled the 2016 surgical strikes as a major historical achievement and said the military operation had presented before the world a bold new example of India’s counter-terrorism policy.
Addressing the nation in the 138th episode of his monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’, Modi noted that the surgical strikes were about to complete 10 years.
The Indian Army carried out the operation during the night of September 28-29, 2016, targeting terrorist launch pads across the Line of Control following the Uri terror attack.
Recalling the operation, Modi said the world had watched as Indian soldiers crossed the LoC and acted against terrorism.
“The surgical strike boldly demonstrated to the entire world a new example of India’s counter-terrorism policy,” the Prime Minister said.
He described the operation as India’s decisive response to the suffering caused by terrorist attacks over the years.
From Surgical Strikes to Balakot and Operation Sindoor
Modi linked the 2016 operation with subsequent Indian military responses, saying the country’s approach towards terrorism had sent a consistent message over the past decade.
Referring to the Balakot airstrike and Operation Sindoor, the Prime Minister said India had repeatedly demonstrated that terrorist attacks against the country would draw a strong response.
“If terrorists dare to cast an evil eye on India, they will be met with a befitting response,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister also looked back at a period when India suffered a series of major terrorist attacks.
He recalled the September 13, 2008 serial blasts in Delhi, in which innocent people were killed, and the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks that followed a few weeks later. Modi said that demands for action against Pakistan had been raised following terrorist attacks in the past, but were often not acted upon.
Against that background, he presented the 2016 surgical strikes as a change in India’s response to cross-border terrorism.
Modi said India now follows a zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism and linked the approach to the country’s subsequent counter-terrorism actions.
The Prime Minister also referred to the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States. He remembered the victims and recalled visiting New York in 2014 after becoming Prime Minister to pay homage to those who lost their lives.
The surgical strikes formed one of the principal national-security themes of Sunday’s Mann Ki Baat, with Modi using the approaching 10th anniversary to recall the operation and reiterate his government’s stated position of zero tolerance towards terrorism.
