'If Pakistan attacks...': PM Modi reveals what happened during late-night call with JD Vance

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday told Parliament that he received repeated calls from US Vice President JD Vance on the night of May 9, hours after India launched Operation Sindoor. Modi said he was in a critical meeting with defence forces and could not take the call initially, but returned it later. During the call, the prime minister said, Vance conveyed urgent intelligence about Pakistan's planned attack.

"On 9 May night, US Vice President JD Vance tried to connect with him. Vance tried for hours. I was in a meeting with defence forces. I could not receive his call. I called back later. Vance told me over phone that Pakistan was going to launch a big attack on India," PM Modi said in the Lok Sabha.

"What I answered was – those who don't understand won't get it – that if Pakistan has this intention, then it will cost them dearly (bahut mehnga padega). Agar Pakistan hamla karega, hum bada hamla kar ke jawab denge (If Pakistan attacks, we will launch bigger attacks). I said further we will respond to goli with gola," the Prime Minister told the House.

Modi said the response came swiftly the next morning. "This happened on the night of 9 May. On the morning of May 10, we destroyed Pakistan's military power. This was our response."

He also recalled how Pakistan’s military sought a ceasefire shortly after the Indian strike. "Pakistan said, ‘Bahut maara, ab jyada maar jhelne ki takat nahi hai’. They asked us to stop the war," Modi said, referring to the plea made by Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO).

"Bas karo, bahut maara hai (please stop the attack, you have hit too hard)," he added, quoting what Pakistan told India. "Just in a few minutes after our Operation, our military told the Pakistan military that we had this aim and we have achieved it, to know what they were thinking. We achieved our target 100 per cent."

The Prime Minister also criticised Pakistan's stance during the conflict. "Had Pakistan used its brain, it wouldn’t have stood with terrorists. But shamelessly, they stood with terrorists. We were prepared and awaiting," he said.

Responding indirectly to Rahul Gandhi's charge earlier that the armed forces had no freedom during Operation Sindoor, the Prime Minister said: "After Pahalgam, the Pakistani forces anticipated a big response from India. They were giving us nuclear threats. On the night of May 6–7, we conducted an Operation the way we wanted, and Pakistan couldn't do anything. In 22 minutes, we avenged the April 22 attack."