Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has postponed his scheduled visits to Croatia, the Netherlands, and Norway amid escalating tensions in South Asia. The development comes after a midnight military strike by Indian forces in long-hostile neighbor Pakistan, raising fresh fears of a full-blown conflict in the region. Concern is mounting in Indian border areas over possible retaliatory attacks by Pakistan. A senior official from the Indian government confirmed the cancellation of Modi’s foreign tour to American news outlet CNN.
According to the source, Prime Minister Modi has officially postponed his visits to Croatia, the Netherlands, and Norway.
The Indian government has not yet provided an official reason for the postponement. However, the announcement came just hours after Indian military strikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
So far, Modi has not made any public comments regarding the military offensive. However, on Wednesday, he chaired a cabinet meeting in New Delhi, during which he praised the Indian military’s “Operation Sindoor,” a coordinated assault on nine locations in Pakistan. The Prime Minister described the joint operation by India’s three armed forces as a “moment of pride.”
He informed the cabinet that the operation was meticulously planned and executed flawlessly, with no errors and full success.
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri held a press conference in Delhi on Wednesday, where he provided further details on the military action. He stated that the Indian military launched nighttime attacks on at least nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, following a militant attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, two weeks earlier.
The Indian military reportedly fired at least 24 missiles into Pakistan within just 25 minutes. India claims the strikes resulted in at least 70 deaths. However, Pakistan’s military has acknowledged 26 fatalities.