Pakistan should seek India’s help if it can’t deal with terror on its soil: Rajnath Singh in Dehradun

He also spoke of his connection to Uttarakhand. “I have a relationship with Uttarakhand. When Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh became two, I was the chief minister of UP… We have especially focused on the development of border states because it is important for national security, and the residents here are a strategic asset for the country,” Singh said while addressing a dialogue on the topic ‘National Security and Terrorism’ hosted by Amar Ujala.

He talked of the different paths taken by India and Pakistan in the aftermath of Independence. “India and Pakistan got independence at the same time, but today, India has been recognised as the ‘mother of democracy’, while Pakistan has emerged as the father of global terrorism. Pakistan has always given shelter to terrorists, trained them on its soil and helped them… It is important that we eliminate these terrorists and their entire infrastructure,” the Defence Minister said.

“Aapne dekha unhone yahan dharm puchke maara, par humne unke dharm dekhke nahi, karm dekh kar maara (They killed people here after asking about religion. But we attacked them for their actions, not their religion). It was an attack on the social unity of the country as well,” Singh said, referring to the April 22 terror attack in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam, in which 26 civilians were shot dead. Operation Sindoor was carried out as part of India’s response to the Pahalgam attack.

Urging the international community to stop funding Pakistan, he said that a large part of this financial aid is spent on terrorism. “Pakistan is a nursery of terrorism. It should not be nourished,” he said.

Expressing shock at the recent decision by the United Nations Security Council to name Pakistan as the vice-chair of the Counter-Terrorism Panel, he said, “Pakistan had sheltered the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. Its land has been used as a refuge for global terrorist organisations. There, terrorists like Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar roam around openly, and senior officers of the Pakistan Army attend the funerals of terrorists. Now, the same country is expected to lead the global community against terrorism… The United Nations Security Council’s action is like asking the cat to guard the milk.”

He said Pakistan should seek India’s help if it is unable to take action against terrorism on its soil. “The Indian Armed Forces are capable of taking effective action against terrorism on either side of the border, which was witnessed by Pakistan itself during Operation Sindoor,” he said.

The Defence Minister said the weapons used during Operation Sindoor were made in India. “Today, India is not only protecting its borders, but is also creating a system that is making us strategically, economically and technically strong. Earlier, we were completely dependent on foreign defence equipment, but today India is rapidly becoming Aatmanirbhar in defence,” he said.

The defence budget was scaled up from Rs 2.53 lakh crore in 2013-14 to Rs 6.22 lakh crore in FY 2024-25, and 75% of the budget was reserved for capital procurement from domestic companies and the issuance of a total of 10 Positive Indigenisation Lists, comprising over 5,500 items. “Today, the Indian Armed Forces use state-of-the-art weapons, missiles, tanks and other systems/platforms manufactured within the country. Our indigenous missiles such as Agni, Prithvi and BrahMos stand ready to give a befitting reply to the enemy. We also have the strength to build aircraft carriers such as INS Vikrant,” he said. He also said that defence production, which was around Rs 40,000 crore in 2014, has crossed a record figure of Rs 1.30 lakh crore today; and defence exports, which were Rs 686 crore in 14, have skyrocketed to Rs 23,622 crore in FY 2024-25. He further said defence products made in India are being exported to nearly 100 countries. “We have set a target of Rs 1.75 lakh crore defence production this year and Rs 3 lakh crore by 2029. Our defence exports should reach Rs 30,000 crore this year and Rs 50,000 crore by 2029,” he said.