Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, marking the country’s 78th Independence Day, warned Pakistan that India will deliver strong retaliation if there are any future attacks on its soil. Addressing the nation from New Delhi’s historic Red Fort on Friday, Modi declared that India would no longer tolerate what he termed Islamabad’s “nuclear blackmail” and vowed to hold accountable not only “terrorists” but also those who support them.
Modi’s remarks come three months after India and Pakistan—both nuclear-armed—engaged in their most intense fighting in decades, clashing for four days in May. The confrontation followed a massacre in Indian-controlled Kashmir in April that left 26 people dead, mostly Hindu tourists. India blamed Pakistan-backed militants for the attack, while Islamabad denied involvement and called for a neutral investigation.
In response to the massacre, India launched strikes on nine sites it said housed “terrorist infrastructure,” claiming they were reduced to rubble. Pakistan retaliated with missile and artillery fire, as well as drone incursions, leading to dozens of deaths on both sides before a US-brokered ceasefire took effect on May 10. Pakistan claimed it shot down six Indian aircraft, including a French-made Rafale fighter. India acknowledged some losses but did not give details. Last week, India’s air force chief said Indian forces had downed five Pakistani fighter jets and another military aircraft—an assertion Pakistan rejected.
In his speech, Modi also suggested that India would continue its suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, imposed after the April massacre. The treaty governs sharing of the Indus River, a vital resource for both countries. Modi said India’s rivers had been irrigating “the lands of enemies” while Indian farmers faced water shortages, declaring that “blood and water will not flow together.” Pakistan has warned that any move to stop or divert the river’s flow would be considered an act of war.
On trade, Modi avoided direct mention of US President Donald Trump’s newly imposed tariffs on India but insisted he would not compromise on protecting the agriculture sector, a key political base. Earlier this month, Trump imposed an additional 25 percent penalty on India, on top of existing 25 percent tariffs, citing India’s purchase of oil and weapons from Russia.
The Indian leader also accused unnamed actors of trying to change the country’s demographic makeup through illegal migration. Announcing a “high-powered demographic mission,” he said no country could “hand over itself to infiltrators.” His government has long alleged that unchecked Muslim immigration from Bangladesh poses a national security risk. In recent months, officials have carried out verification drives to identify those without legal status, leading to detentions and expulsions—most involving Muslims sent to Bangladesh.
Modi closed his address with a pledge to defend India’s sovereignty, saying that the government would take decisive steps to protect its borders and identity. He reiterated that illegal immigration threatened the nation’s demographic balance and security, and that the state would act firmly to remove infiltrators from Indian territory.