India's response non-escalatory after Pahalgam terror attack: AAP MP Raghav Chadha

New Delhi: Calling Operation Sindoor a "measured" and "non-escalatory" response to the Pahalgam terror attack, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha on Friday said India's hand of friendship can transform into a "fist of retribution" if someone indulges in misadventure, according to a video clip shared by him on his X handle.

He was speaking at the 'Ideas for India Conference 2025' in London, United Kingdom.

"Very recently, there was an unfortunate incident in Pahalgam. It becomes very important that we highlight that India's strategic autonomy is also reflected in the fact that in the aftermath of the most cowardly attack of Pahalgam, where 26 civilians were butchered, India did not go around town seeking consent to retaliate," he added.

India had carried out strikes on nine sites in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Pakistan, marking its deepest strikes inside Pakistan in decades in retaliation for a deadly terrorist attack on April 22.

Thereafter, Pakistan attempted to unleash drones and missiles at Indian military targets in more than a dozen cities and towns, many of them home to air force bases.

"India told its worthy partners in the world that, look, we are all for peace, but do not mistake our peacefulness for our weakness. While we extend the hand of friendship, but if you indulge in misadventures, then that hand of friendship can become the fist of retribution," he said.

As a result, India responded in a "non-escalatory", "precise", "measured", "calculated" and "swift" response where cross-border strikes were made and terror infrastructures across the border -- not civilians, not military bases -- were brought down, he shared.

"At a global stage -- I say, Pakistan is not a victim state, it's a terror state. At the 'Ideas for India Conference 2025' in London, I called out Pakistan's decades-old terror machinery. Blood and water can't flow together.

"Lies and loans can't go together. Diplomacy and duplicity of Pakistan can't go together. Terror and Tolerance can't exist together. India seeks peace — but if provoked, retribution won't be an EXCEPTION, it will be an EXPECTATION," he said.

Earlier this month, Chadha was also invited as a keynote speaker at the prestigious Asian Leadership Conference (ALC) 2025, held in Seoul, South Korea.

At the event, he strongly condemned the Pakistan-sponsored terrorist attack in Pahalgam on a global stage. He lauded the Indian Army's courage during Operation Sindoor and emphasised that India no longer merely expresses sorrow over acts of terrorism but now responds with precise and decisive military action.