PM Modi Warns India's Firm Response To Pakistan If Terrorist Attacks Happen Again

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned Pakistan on Monday that New Delhi would target another "terrorist hiding place" across the border in the event of a new attack on India, not being hindered by what he called Islamabad's "nuclear shell".

PM Modi spoke two days after the nuclear-armed neighboring country agreed to a ceasefire, US President Donald Trump announced on Saturday.

Ceasefire was reached after four days of intense firefight as old enemies attacked each other's military installations with missiles and drones, killing dozens of civilians.

The military confrontation began on Wednesday last week, when India said it had launched an attack on nine "terrorist infrastructure" locations in Pakistan and Pakistaninides, following an attack on Hindu tourists by Islamist militants in India'sASH last month that killed 26 people.

Islamabad denied any ties to the attack and called for a neutral investigation.

"If there is a terrorist attack in India, appropriate answers will be given in accordance with our provisions," PM Modi said, speaking in Hindi in a televised address.

"In the coming days, we will measure every step of Pakistan, what kind of attitude Pakistan will take," he continued.

"India will strike appropriately and firmly in place of terrorist hiding that develops under the guise of nuclear extortion," he stressed, listing New Delhi's requirements for holding talks with Islamabad and lifting restrictions imposed after theUSH attack.

"India's position is clear: terror and negotiations cannot go hand in hand; terror and trade cannot run simultaneously. And water and blood cannot flow simultaneously," he said, referring to the water-sharing pact between the two countries suspended by New Delhi.

PM Modi's first public comments since India's armed forces launched an attack on what New Delhi called a "terrorist camp" across the border last week, show India's increasingly violent stance in its relations with its neighbor, which was already cold even before the last conflict.

Pakistan denies Indian accusations that it supports the militants who attacked it, saying the location attacked by India last week was a civilian site.

There was no immediate response to his comments from Islamabad.

It is known that India, which is predominantly Hindu and Pakistan, which is Muslim, both controls parts of the misergic region in the Himalayans, but claims it in full.

They have fought in two of their three wars since independence in 1947 in the region and there have been some more limited turmoil, including in 2016 and 2019.

PM Modi's speech came hours after India and Pakistan's military chiefs of operations spoke by telephone two days after they agreed to a ceasefire.

"The issue related to the continuation of the commitment of the two sides not to release a single shot or initiate aggressive and hostile actions against each other has been discussed," the Indian military said.

"It was also agreed that both parties consider immediate action to ensure the reduction of troops from the border and the front area," he added.

There was no immediate Pakistani statement regarding the military chief of operations' talks.