Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday called Pakistan the “epicentre of international terrorism” and said India voluntarily halted Operation Sindoor despite being fully prepared for a prolonged war.
Rajnath’s comment came two days after facing backlash over his statement that “terrorism has no nationality and theology”.
Speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) defence ministers’ meeting in Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday, Rajnath had said: “We must not forget that terrorism has no nationality and no theology. Nations must take a firm and collective stance against terrorism.”
The Congress accused the defence minister of giving a “shameful clean chit” to Pakistan and said his statements were “anti-national”. Rajnath also came under attack from unexpected quarters — several Right-wing trolls on social media slammed his statement, calling it “shocking” as India had been the biggest victim of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and cited the recent
Pahalgam attack.
What Rajnath said was not a departure from India’s earlier stand on terrorism. New Delhi has consistently maintained a firm, principled stance that terrorism is a “malignancy” and a global scourge that knows no borders, nationality, or race and has often articulated at the United Nations and other international forums.
On Thursday at a security summit in Delhi, Rajnath castigated Pakistan for supporting terrorism, saying that even though both countries got independence together, India is known worldwide for its information technology while “Pakistan is considered the epicentre of other IT, that is, international terrorism”.
India, Rajnath said, executed Operation Sindoor on its own terms and at a time of its own choosing and halted it strictly on its own terms.
“During the course of the operation, we targeted, with absolute precision, only those who had perpetrated the attack against us. We did not halt the operation because our capabilities had been exhausted or diminished. We halted it entirely on our own
terms,” he said.
“We were fully prepared to sustain a prolonged conflict. We possess the requisite surge capacity and the inherent strength to rapidly scale up our capabilities in moments of sudden crisis.”
US President Donald Trump had claimed he brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan and announced it on his X handle, saying the two countries had agreed to a full and immediate truce.
The defence minister said that during Operation Sindoor, India was threatened with a nuclear attack, but it did not fall for that “bluff”.
“Terrorism is not just an anti-national act; it has multi-dimensions, and terrorism can only be dealt with if we tackle it in all its three dimensions — operational, ideological and political. The true IP address of terrorism is its ideological and political roots, where it thrives.”
He likened terrorism to the “nectar in Ravana’s navel”, saying that even if one head is cut off, another regenerates. He added that it is essential to eliminate this source that sustains terrorism.