Surgical strike: Can't be recipient of terrorist attacks and do nothing about it, says VP Ansari

Vice President Hamid Ansari on Saturday lauded the Indian Armed Forces for carrying out surgical strike and destroying terror launch pads across the Line of Control (LOC) on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.

"You can't be the recipient of terrorist attacks all the time and do nothing about it. How you do that is something left to the judgment of the government and the professionals in charge of this," Ansari said.

"The Prime Minister has said that right in beginning, we will do it, and do it in the time and method of our choosing," he added.

Describing his five-day visit to Mali and Nigeria, as "very satisfying", Ansari said India flagged three important issues, which are of significant relevance in present context.

He said there was a general agreement between the countries on terrorism and the need to build counterterrorist mechanism to deal with the issue.

He also said the countries were in greater consonance in the need to reform the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) so that developing nations in Africa and Asia have greater say in the decision-making process.

"There was an agreement that reforms are needed and there was also realistic appreciation that this was an uphill task and those who have power will not concede easily," Hansari said.

Ansari further said that India raised its apprehensions, particularly with Mali, on the anti-India documents being circulated among the Organisation of Islamic Countries.

"Prime Minister of Mali Modibo Keita said quite clearly that they shall not be party to anything that harms India," he said.