A day after concluding his visit to Srinagar's Badami Bagh Cantonment, Union defence minister Rajnath Singh arrived at the Bhuj Rudra Mata Air Force Station in Gujarat on Friday, where he addressed Indian Air Force personnel and strongly criticised the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for its recent bailout to Pakistan.
During his address, Singh urged the IMF to reconsider its $2.1 billion bailout to the debt-ridden neighbouring country, stating that Pakistan continues to provide safe havens to terrorists and launch state-sponsored attacks against Indian citizens.
"Any financial assistance to Pakistan is actually terror funding. The IMF should reconsider its decision," he said.
The IMF announced its funding as Indian armed forces were carrying out Operation Sindoor, a military offensive targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
During the same time, Pakistan was reportedly launching drone and missile strikes on civilian and military zones in northern India.
The defence minister lauded the Indian Air Force for its swift and decisive actions during Operation Sindoor, which was named by PM Narendra Modi.
"It took just 23 minutes for the Indian Air Force to dismantle the terrorism being harbored in Pakistan. You eliminated the enemies in the time it takes people to finish their breakfast,” he said.
Praising the precision and impact of the operation, Singh stated, "The entire world has seen how you destroyed nine terrorist camps located on the soil of Pakistan. In the action taken later, several of their air bases were destroyed."
He highlighted India’s changing defence posture and modern warfare capabilities, noting, “During Operation Sindoor, Indian Air Force displayed not just their might but also proved to the world that now India's war policy and technology have changed.”
He also said, “We have kept Pakistan on probation. If its behavior improves, then okay, otherwise, it will be given the strictest punishment.”
Referring to Bhuj’s historical significance, Singh remarked, “Bhuj was witness to our victory against Pakistan in 1965, and today again it has been witness to our victory against Pakistan... I feel proud to be present here.”
He further underlined India’s growing defence capabilities, saying that even Pakistan has acknowledged the power of the Brahmos missile system. “It is not a small matter that our Air Force has capability to reach every corner of Pakistan; this has been proven during Operation Sindoor,” Singh said.
Furthermore, the Union defence minister said, “Whatever you did during Operation Sindoor, has made all Indians proud — whether they are in India or abroad.” He described the strikes as "just a trailer" and added, “The full picture will come at the right time.”