15 May 2025: Defence minister Rajnath Singh, who is visiting Jammu and Kashmir, remarked on Thursday that terrorists targeted tourists in Pahalgam based on their dharma (religion), but the Indian forces eliminated terrorists in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir based on their karma (deeds). Addressing soldiers of the Indian Army, the minister also questioned the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, asking the global nuclear watchdog to assume control of the neighbouring country’s weapons.
“Terrorists killed innocent people in Pahalgam by asking their ‘dharma’ (religion they follow). The entire world saw the reply you gave after that…We killed terrorists by looking at their ‘karma’ (deeds). They killed the innocent by looking at their ‘dharma’; this was Pakistan’s ‘karma’. We eliminated them by looking at their ‘karma’, this is our ‘Bharatiya dharma’,” he said.
India killed over 100 terrorists earlier this month by targeting terrorist bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Later, the Indian forces damaged Pakistani air bases after Pakistan’s armed forces attacked Indian cities and military installations.
Rajnath Singh said Operation Sindoor has made it clear that terrorists and their masters in Pakistan aren’t safe anywhere.
Dubbing Pakistan an irresponsible nation, Singh asked the IAEA to take the country’s nuclear arsenal under its control to ensure their safety.
“The world knows that our army’s aim is accurate, and when they hit the target, they leave the counting to the enemy. How strong is India’s pledge against terrorism today? It can be known from the fact that we did not even care about their nuclear blackmail. The whole world has seen how irresponsibly Pakistan has threatened India. Today, from the land of Srinagar, I want to raise this question: whether nuclear weapons are safe in the hands of such an irresponsible and rogue nation. I believe that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons should be taken under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),” he said.
The defence minister is on a visit to Jammu and Kashmir to take stock of the overall security situation, especially along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border.
India thwarted most of the attacks by Pakistan during the four-day-long conflict. Five Indian military personnel died in the line of duty.
The two nations arrived at a ceasefire understanding last Saturday after Pakistan’s DGMO called his Indian counterpart seeking cessation of hostilities.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a stern message to Pakistan, said terror and talks cannot go together, terror and trade cannot go together, and blood and water cannot flow together. He also said India won’t tolerate Pakistan’s nuclear blackmail.
Summary:
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, during his visit to Srinagar, emphasized that terrorists targeted innocents based on their religion, while India responded to their actions by eliminating them, reflecting India’s commitment to justice and national security.