'First of all..': Indian envoy corrects CNN anchor's Kashmir comment
What's the story
Vinay Kwatra, India's ambassador to the United States, corrected Wolf Blitzer of CNN regarding his choice of words about Kashmir. As the latter referred to the region as "Indian-administered Kashmir" when asking Kwatra about explosions being heard there, he immediately interjected, saying, "First of all... I'm sorry but let me correct you that the entire Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India." "The only issue to be resolved there is the return of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir," Kwatra asserted.
Twitter Post
Watch the interview here
India’s Ambassador to the U.S., Vinay Kwatra, spoke eloquently with @CNN on Pakistan’s terrorism in Kashmir, detailing how Pakistan escalates conflict with India. Listen to his articulate remarks. pic.twitter.com/AHVZ5U2VNk
— Awasthi (@Awasthiii18) May 9, 2025
Military operation
Kwatra defends Operation Sindoor during CNN interview
In the same interview, Ambassador Kwatra defended India's Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7. Describing it as a direct response to a terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians, he said, "The strikes were aimed solely at dismantling terror infrastructure." He also reaffirmed India's claim that the strikes did not target any military or economic installations and did not result in any civilian deaths.
Statement
'We are at war with terrorists'
Kwatra went on to affirm India's stand on fighting terrorism during the interview. "We are at war with the terrorists, and we will, as I said, bring justice to the victims and hold them accountable," he said. "Our foremost objective in this was (to) hold these lowlifes, subhuman monsters accountable and bring justice to the victims," he added.
Interview
April 22 was original escalation: Kwatra
Elaborating on Operation Sindoor, he said the original escalation happened on April 22 (the day of the attack) when four terrorists backed by Pakistan carried out brutal killings. "What we did yesterday was our response to terror...We took out terror factories at nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir," he said. A day earlier, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri also said that the Pahalgam terror attack was the "original escalation" and India responded in "controlled, precise, measured, considered and non-escalatory" manner.