New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday asserted India’s zero tolerance stance against terrorism and called upon the global community to uproot the menace.
In a post on social media platform X, Union Minister Singh said that fighting against terrorism is not optional but a collective duty.
The leader also shared his article in an English daily in which he suggested ways to stem the scourge of terrorism.
The Defence Minister shared that for decades, India has been a victim of state-sponsored cross-border terrorism originating from Pakistan, whether it’s 26/11 or the 2001 Parliament attack or the recent Pahalgam attack, but it stands taller, stronger, and more resolute than ever.
“We have shown how to stem terrorism,” Rajnath Singh said and suggested ways to the world to fight it.
Stating that the currency of terrorism is fear, the Defence Minister highlighted how the terrorists failed to fracture Indian unity.
The Pahalgam attack, in which the terrorists killed after identifying the people’s religion and Pakistan’s strikes on various religious sites belonging to different faiths were aimed at dividing the country, but they failed.
He reiterated the NDA government’s stance that any further dialogue with Pakistan will be only on terrorism and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.
Asserting that talks and terrorism cannot go hand-in-hand, Rajnath Singh said if the neighbouring country was serious, it must hand over UN-designated terrorists like Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar.
The leader also highlighted India’s fundamental reappraisal of its policy towards Pakistan-sponsored terrorists, saying “earlier our armed forces were only allowed to engage in defensive action, but now the country conducts surgical strikes, Balakot strikes, and Operation Sindoor.”
He said that any act of terror is now considered an act of war, and “we will kill terrorists where they are”.
The leader also warned that Pakistan will have to pay the price if it is unable to rein in terrorists operating from its soil. The Defence Minister shared PM Modi’s assertion that India will not rest till terrorism is uprooted.
He shared that India has successfully isolated Pakistan diplomatically and economically and kept the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance until Pakistan credibly renounces its support for cross-border terrorism.
To effectively dismantle terrorist networks, he called for a widely accepted definition of terrorism for the investigation and prosecution of terrorist acts, and ensuring terrorists’ extradition from abroad.
He said that the donor countries and multilateral agencies must stop financing states sponsoring terrorism.
Rajnath Singh said Pakistan has a history of misusing bailout packages for cross-border terrorism and should be again put on the grey list by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
The state and non-state actors are two sides of the same coin in Pakistan, which became evident when designated terrorists were accorded funerals with state honours.
He also warned that there is a threat that atomic weapons may end up with non-state actors in the neighbouring country. Rajnath Singh called for placing Pakistan’s nuclear weapons under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
He also stressed the fact that the severity of reactions to terrorist acts cannot depend on where they occur or the nationality of the victims, as it emboldens perpetrators.
The Defence Minister said, “It’s time for all countries to come together and sign the Comprehensive Convention against International Terrorism.”
(IANS)
