New Delhi, May 12: In his first address to the nation after India’s military response to the Pahalgam terror attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the valour and patience of the armed forces and declared that the country has shown its strength and resolve in the face of terrorism.

Speaking to the nation on Thursday, the Prime Minister said, “We all have seen the capability and patience of the country in the last few days. I salute the armed forces, the military, the intelligence agencies, and our scientists.”

He dedicated the bravery of the Indian forces to the women of the country, stating, “Today, I dedicate this valour, bravery and courage to every mother, every sister and every daughter of the country.”

The Prime Minister referred to the April 22 Pahalgam attack, calling it an act of barbarism that shook the entire nation. “In Pahalgam, terrorists showed brutal cruelty. Innocent people enjoying their holidays were killed in front of their families after being asked about their religion. That incident shook not just India but the world.”

He emphasized that the Indian Army had been given a free hand to act against terrorists. “Every terrorist and terror organisation now understands the consequences of trying to harm our sisters and daughters,” he said, adding that Operation Sindoor is a symbol of national emotion and a firm commitment to justice.

Referring to the military strikes, he said, “The Indian armed forces carried out attacks on terrorist bases inside Pakistan. These terrorists never imagined India would take such a bold step. When Indian missiles and drones struck those sites, it wasn’t just buildings that were destroyed, their courage was crushed too.”

Describing Operation Sindoor as more than just a military campaign, Modi said it represented the collective feelings of the Indian people. “Operation Sindoor is an unbroken pledge of justice. The late night of May 6 and the early hours of May 7 showed the world that this resolve is not just in words but in action.”

In a strong message to Pakistan, he stated, “Pakistan had prepared to strike on the borders, but India struck at their heart.”

He also hinted that India’s military action could resume, saying, “We have only paused our attacks on terrorist and military sites in Pakistan.”

The address comes days after India launched strikes on terror infrastructure across the border under the name Operation Sindoor, in response to the Pahalgam terror attack that killed several civilians. The operation has been widely seen as a decisive response from India’s security forces.

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Batumi (Georgia), Jul 26 (PTI): Young Indian International Master Divya Deshmukh held her nerves to hold stalwart Koneru Humpy to a draw in game 1 of the FIDE Women's World Cup final, with both players having their share of opportunities to take the lead here on Saturday.

The draw with black means Humpy, the two-time World Rapid champion, holds a slight edge going in the second and final game under the classical chess rules in the two-game mini-match, and should the deadlock continue, games of shorter duration will be played to determine the winner.

Humpy employed the Queen's gambit accepted as black and it turned out to be a pretty fascinating game right out of the opening as Divya, 19, came up with a piece sacrifice early to deny the black king the right to castle.

Humpy was the first to err and, according to computers, Divya had things under control on the 14th move. However in her bid to recover the extra material, the Nagpur girl, who has secured a place in the Candidates tournament with her sterling performance here, missed a promising continuation.

What followed the exchange of all minor pieces and the ensuing queen and rook endgame gave enough counter play to both players. The game was eventually drawn after Humpy sacrificed her rook to force perpetual checks.

"The game saw an extremely sharp battle with the game ending in a draw in 41 moves. On move 7, Divya made her aggressive intentions clear by offering another pawn,

which looked like home preparation. Humpy made a practical decision of refraining from taking the pawn and a balanced position was reached by move 10 by white," said Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay, an Arjuna awardee and the first Indian to get a chess Grandmaster norm.

"However, instead of developing the undeveloped Knight, Humpy retreated the centralised Knight on move 10, giving huge positional advantage to Divya. Divya could have gained huge positional advantage on the 12th move by moving a rook. However, she chose to play for King side attack by sacrificing a piece instead.

"Humpy, too, erred at this stage and instead of moving the King to Queen side, moved it to the King side. Divya, on move 14, could have obtained a crushing attack by threatening a mate by developing her Queen. Instead she chose to exchange a pair of Bishops first, which enabled Humpy to defend her King by returning the piece," said Thipsay.

"Players thus reached a balanced Queen and two Rooks ending. Divya continued to play ambitiously and tried to attack Humpy’s King but the latter defended accurately and the game was drawn in 41 moves by perpetual check," he added.

In the play-off for the third place, Chinese players Zhongyi Tan, the former women's world champion and top seed Lei Tingjie also decided to split points out of a Queen’s gambit declined game.

The opening raised visions of a close contest between the two but having been knocked out of title race in the previous round, none of them wanted to take any huge risk. It was still a middle game when the players shook hands.

With the top two positions sealed for the Indians, the berth to the next Candidates is also assigned, while the player finishing third will also get an entry to the premier event scheduled for 2026.

Results: Divya Deshmukh (Ind) drew with Koneru Humpy (Ind); Zhongyi Tan (Chn) drew with Tingjie Lei (Chn).