My father would be at peace, expect more such action: Son of Pahalgam victim

Mumbai: Harshal Lele, who lost his father and two uncles in the Pahalgam terror attack, expressed a sense of closure after Indian armed forces carried out Operation Sindoor against terrorist bases in Pakistan in the early hours of Wednesday.

"I am satisfied, my late father would now be at peace," said Lele, who saw his father and uncles being shot before his eyes on April 22. "One of my uncles pleaded with the terrorists to let them go, but he was shot dead. No mercy was shown to him, nor to my other uncle or my father," he recalled.

"I am happy with the way Operation Sindoor was carried out. The nine locations from where these terrorists operated were struck. It is our expectation that more such actions should be taken," he told reporters in Dombivli, Thane district.

Harshal's father Sanjay Lele and his relatives Atul Mone and Hemant Joshi were among the 26 persons who lost their lives in the terrorist attack on April 22.

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Anushka Mone, Atul Mone's wife, said she knew that her loss was irreparable, yet Wednesday's response was important.

"Those whom we lost will never return. But this action by the Army, this powerful response, is a true tribute to their sacrifice. The terrorists did not just attack individuals, they attacked the soul of India. And India has shown them their place," she told reporters.

She also said that Operation Sindoor must not be politicized. "This is a matter of national security and dignity. The Sindoor operation is above politics. It is about justice, not elections," Mone said.

"This was the justice we were hoping for," said Jayant Bhave, a relative. Navi Mumbai resident Subodh Patil (60), who was injured in the neck during the Pahalgam attack, also expressed satisfaction.

"I am not able to speak much, but I will say it is good that India took revenge," he told PTI, adding it was a tribute to the innocent lives lost in the terror attack.