‘Won't hesitate to hit terror epicentres'—Rajnath Singh at SCO meet attended by Pakistan defence minister
'Dealing with these challenges require decisive action and we must unite in our fight against these evils for our collective safety and security,' he said.
Speaking at the SCO Defence Ministers' meeting in China's Qingdao, with Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif in attendance, Singh said peace and prosperity cannot co-exist with terrorism and proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) in the hands of non-state actors and terror groups.
New Delhi: Underlying that the Pahalgam attack was carried out by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Thursday said there should be no place for double standards when it comes to terrorism and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) should not hesitate to criticise nations indulging in such acts.
Mincing no words, he added, 'It is imperative that those who sponsor, nurture and utilise terrorism for their narrow and selfish ends must bear the consequences. Some countries use cross-border terrorism as an instrument of policy and provide shelter to terrorists. There should be no place for such double standards. SCO should not hesitate to criticise such nations'.
Speaking on Operation Sindoor, Singh said that on 22 April, 2025, the terror group 'The Resistance Front' (TRF) carried out a dastardly and heinous attack on innocent tourists.
'Victims were shot at after they were profiled based on religious identity. The Resistance Front which is a proxy of UN designated terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) claimed responsibility for the attack: The pattern of Pahalgam terror attack matches with LeT's previous terror attacks in India.
'In exercising its right to defend against terrorism and pre-empt as well as deter further cross border terrorist attacks, India on 7th May, 2025, successfully launched Op Sindoor to dismantle cross border terrorist infrastructure,' he said.
Singh added that India's zero tolerance for terrorism is manifest today through its actions.
'This includes our right to defend ourselves against terrorism. We have shown that epicentres of terrorism are no longer safe and we will not hesitate to target them,' he said.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
Also read: Lashkar's renewed blossoming shows war hasn't coerced Pakistan Army into giving up on Kashmir
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