Latest news with #Pak-occupiedKashmir
Hindustan Times
29-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
If Pak not able to take action against terrorism, India can help: Rajnath Singh in Rajya Sabha
New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said if Pakistan cannot take action against terrorism on its soil, India is ready to help it as Indian forces are capable of fighting terror on the other side of the border as well. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh speaks during the discussion on Operation Sindoor in the Rajya Sabha, during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Tuesday. (Sansad TV/ANI Video Grab)(Sansad TV/ANI Grab) Initiating a special discussion on Operation Sindoor in Rajya Sabha, Singh said three terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack have been eliminated by Indian forces. He further said that Operation Sindoor - India's response to the Pahalgam attack - has been halted, and can be resumed anytime if Pakistan indulges in terror activities in India again. "India wants terrorism to end in the whole world, including Pakistan... I had advised Pakistan earlier as well, and today I want to say again, that if you are unable to take effective action against terrorism, take India's help. India's forces are capable of taking effective action against terrorism this side of the border, as well as on the other side. Pakistan has already witnessed this during Operation Sindoor," he said. "If Pakistan commits any terror incidents in future, we will relaunch Operation Sindoor without hesitation," he said. Singh stressed that our vision is that Operation Sindoor should carry on continuously. "There can be a comma but no full stop." While expressing surprise over questions raised by some opposition leaders over getting back Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, he said, "I am surprised at this demand, because when they were in power they did just the opposite." "It has always been the stand of the Bharatiya Janata Party that the day is not far when the people of Pak-occupied Kashmir will have the privilege of becoming a part of the Indian governance system," he said. Targeting the opposition, Singh said, "Some people think that since Pakistan has nuclear weapons, we should only negotiate with them. Because of this nuclear bluff, we have lost countless civilians. Our vision is that we will give a befitting reply." The defence minister stressed that no religious, ideological, or political reason can justify terrorism. He also congratulated the security forces for killing three terrorists involved in the April 22 Pahalgam attack in which 26 people were killed. He said Home Minister Amit Shah has provided in Lok Sabha details of the joint operation by the forces. Singh said post-Pahalgam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with the service chiefs, and gave them free hand to use their wisdom, strategic understanding and regional security situation to decide on the response. He said the military leadership also showed maturity, and added that Operation Sindoor was aimed at giving a clear message that India will take strong action and go to any extent against terror. "Our action was in self-defence, it was not expansionist...," Singh said. He said Operation Sindoor displays India's new policy against terrorism, and ends the perception that India is a "soft state". "Op Sindoor was not just a military operation, it was a display of our policy against terror. On April 22, the cowardly Pahalgam attack happened. They asked people their religion before killing them. This was an incident which showed that cross border terror was trying to disintegrate India," Singh said. "The aim was to destroy terror infrastructure and the message of zero tolerance for terror. The politico-military objective was to punish Pakistan for the proxy war it is fighting in the form of terrorism," he said. "We are redefining our identity, Operation Sindoor is an example. Terrorists had thought India was a soft state... Operation Sindoor is a game changer. We have ensured terrorism becomes a misadventure for Pakistan," he said. Singh said for the future, the importance of the operation is that "the Indian citizen is no more a vulnerable citizen of a soft state, they are proud citizens of a strong India". Slamming the opposition, he said if it felt the government did not take proper action, it should come up with an alternative policy. "When the sindoor of our mothers and sisters was wiped away, should we engage in diplomatic talks with Pakistan? Should we hand over dossiers to Pakistan? Should we go to international organizations and just talk? When our opposition colleagues were in power, whenever there were terrorist attacks, they used to take such steps," he said. Singh said Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) urged India to stop the hostilities, and India accepted it on the condition that the operation would be suspended, not terminated. "If Pakistan commits any terror incidents in future, we will relaunch Operation Sindoor without hesitation," he asserted. He said the forces achieved the goals set under the operation. Singh appealed to the international community to stop fundings for Pakistan, stating that a major portion goes into funding terror activities. "It is essential to expose countries that fund and provide shelter to terrorism in front of the world today. A large portion of the money or economic aid that Pakistan receives is spent on the factory of terrorism," he said. He also slammed the United Nations over Pakistan's appointment to the key counter-terrorism committee. "The United Nations Security Council has appointed Pakistan as the Vice-Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Panel. The surprising thing is that this Counter-Terrorism Panel was formed after the 9/11 attacks. It is also no secret that Pakistan gave shelter to the mastermind of that attack," he said. "We have always observed that countries like Pakistan have consistently supported terrorism. What a contradiction it is that both India and Pakistan gained independence at the same time, but today, while India is recognised worldwide as the Mother of Democracy, Pakistan has emerged as the Father of Global Terrorism," he said. Singh also India today is not only defending its borders but is also building a system that is making us stronger from strategic, economic, and technological perspectives. "Earlier, we were entirely dependent on foreign countries for defense equipment, but today I can proudly say that India is rapidly becoming self-reliant in the field of defense," he said. "You will be pleased to know that India's defense export has increased approximately 35 times compared to 2014. In the year 2013-14, defense exports from India were only 686 crore, which have now risen to 23,622 crore in 2024-25," he said.
Hindustan Times
29-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Pakistan is a result of Congress' blunder: Amit Shah in Lok Sabha
Launching a broadside at the Congress, Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said a blunder by the main opposition party led to the creation of Pakistan and claimed that Pak-occupied Kashmir was the legacy of first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Union Home Minister Amit Shah speaks during the discussion on Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha, during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Tuesday.(Sansad TV/ANI Grab) Participating in the special discussion on Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha, Shah also slammed successive Congress governments for failing to capitalize on opportunities to reclaim lost territories from Pakistan and wondered how the opposition party was targeting the Modi government for not launching an all-out war against Islamabad. "All roots of terrorism lead back to Pakistan. And Pakistan itself is the result of the Congress party's blunder. Had they not accepted the idea of partition, Pakistan would never have come into existence," Shah said. Shah's remarks came after Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi sought to know from the government why it halted the military action against Pakistan and stopped short of reclaiming Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). "In 1948, our armed forces were at a decisive stage in Kashmir. Sardar Patel kept saying no, but (Jawaharlal) Nehru announced a unilateral ceasefire. If Pak-occupied Kashmir exists today, it is due to this unilateral ceasefire announced by Nehru. Jawaharlal Nehru is responsible for this," the home minister said. He also claimed that Nehru ceded the geographical and strategic advantage India enjoyed, and offered 80 per cent of the Indus waters to Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty in 1960. Shah said Congress had missed another crucial opportunity of reclaiming PoK in 1971, after India's victory in the Bangladesh Liberation War. "The creation of Bangladesh is something that India will always be proud of. But what happened in the glare of that victory? We had 93,000 prisoners of war – that was 42 per cent of the Pakistani army – and 15,000 square kilometres of territory in our possession. Yet in Shimla, an agreement was signed, and they forgot to even ask for Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Not just that – even the captured land was returned," he said. Shah also held Nehru responsible for India not securing a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council. "It was Nehru's decision that cost us the UN Security Council seat," Shah said, quoting from books written by the first prime minister. Shah said the Congress had opposed the Prevention of Terrorism Act which was enacted in 2002 by the then Atal Bihari Vajpayee government to curb terrorism. "I want to ask today who was Congress trying to protect by blocking POTA? The moment Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi's government came to power, POTA was repealed in the first cabinet meeting. The country deserves to know – who benefitted from the Congress repealing POTA," the home minister asked. Shah said the Opposition was asking the government why the attackers of Pahalgam were allowed to flee. "Well, the security forces have answered on my behalf. The Army had gunned them down," he said. The home minister said a number of terrorists had fled the country when the Congress was in power. "Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar fled in 1986, when the Rajiv Gandhi government was in power. Syed Salahuddin, Tiger Memon, Anis Ibrahim Kaskar fled in 1993, when the Congress government was in power. Riyaz Bhatkal fled in 2007, when the Congress government was in power. Iqbal Bhatkal fled in 2010, then it was their government," Shah said. "Now, let Rahul Gandhi answer why these people fled the country," he said. The home minister referred to the Batla House encounter of 2008, and recalled how Congress leader Salman Khurshid was shedding tears for the dead terrorists. "I thought something serious had happened. He said Sonia Gandhi cried for the Batla House terrorists. If she had to cry, she should've cried for martyr Mohan Sharma instead," Shah said. As Congress members rose in protest, Shah said he has downloaded a video of Khurshid on his mobile phone and was ready to play it in the House if required.
