London, April 19 :  Terming "surgical strike" an answer to the "exporters of terrorism", Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that India informed Pakistan about the 2016 strike before announcing to the media in the country.

He said India will not tolerate "those who like to export terror and try to backstab" and "they will be given a strong reply and in the language they understand".

"The surgical strike was an answer to the exporters of terrorism, sending message (to Pakistan) that India has changed and their antics will never be accepted.

"I am proud of my soldiers. The soldiers executed the surgical strike without making a single mistake and with 100 per cent perfection. And they returned before sunrise," said Modi during an interactive session of the 'Bharat Ki Baat, Sabke Saath' diaspora event at the Central Hall in Westminster.

"...And look at our good intention. I told the army officer in-charge that before announcing the news in India, he should inform the Pakistan army first about the strike and they may remove the bodies if they want to," he added.

"We had been trying to contact them (Pakistan) since 11 in the morning. They were initially scared of taking our calls. In the meantime, we had already called the media persons and made them wait for long.

"But, we first informed Pakistan about the surgical strike, we did not hide it. They took our call at 12 p.m., we informed them about it, and only after that we announced it to the media and the world," he added.

Modi also said India has a history of 1,000 years and it has never desired to capture anyone else's territory.

"During World War I and II we had no stake, nor did we get an inch of land, but our 1.5 lakh soldiers took part in the wars. These were big sacrifices. Look at our role in the UN peacekeeping forces. Our contribution is this is the biggest.

"Our character is to be invincible and we believe in peace. But this is not our character to snatch away one's rights," he added.

"However, we will not tolerate those who like to export terror and those who try to stab at the back. We know how to give back strong answers and in the language they understand.

"Some cowards come and kill our jawans. Do you want me to stay quiet. Shouldn't they be replied in the same coin," Modi added.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 19, 2018 12:02 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).