Pak a rogue nation with nukes, must be under IAEA scanner: Rajnath Singh

NEW DELHI: Calling Pakistan a rogue nation with nukes, defence minister Rajnath Singh said Thursday its nuclear arsenal should be placed under the watch of International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA ), and stressed that Islamabad’s nuclear blackmail failed to deter India’s response to terrorism under Operation Sindoor .

“PM Modi has redefined India’s policy against terrorism which now says that any attack on Indian soil will be considered as an act of war,” said Singh, addressing troops at Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar on his first visit to J&K since Op Sindoor was launched May 7. Singh’s comments come soon after the PM drew a new red line, stressing that Pakistan’s nuclear blackmail will no longer work and India would continue to give cross-border kinetic responses to terror attacks.

Pak’s been deceiving India for long: Rajnath

India has a clearly stated ‘no first-use’ nuclear weapons policy but Pakistan has deliberately left it ambiguous and often indulges in nuclear sabre-rattling. It brandishes, for instance, its short-range Nasr (Hatf-IX) and other missiles as a counter to India’s conventional military superiority.

Pakistan, of course, has steadily built up its nuclear arsenal due to its well-documented proliferation nexus with China and North Korea. This nuclear option as a leverage against India came to the fore even last week when Islamabad first announced a meeting of its nuclear National Command Authority but then subsequently backed down amid global concern.

At Srinagar, noting that the world has witnessed how irresponsibly Islamabad has issued nuclear threats to New Delhi several times, Singh said, “I raise this question before the world: Are nuclear weapons safe in the hands of such an irresponsible and rogue nation? Pakistan’s nuclear weapons should be taken under the supervision of the IAEA.”

The defence minister called Operation Sindoor the “biggest action” taken by India against terrorism in history, and a testament to the nation’s commitment to go to any extent to eliminate the menace. “Our forces have shown to the world that their aim is precise and pinpointed, and the task of counting (the body bags) is left to the enemies,” he said.

Terrorists targeted tourists in Pahalgam based on their “dharma” (religion), but the Indian forces killed terrorists based on their “karma” (deeds) in the long-range strikes conducted in Pakistan and PoK on May 7, Rajnath said. “It was the dream of every soldier that we will reach terrorist hideouts and destroy them. It was our dharma to eliminate the terrorists.” Addressing the troops, chief minister Omar Abdullah and Army chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Singh said India has always prioritised peace and never supported war but when its sovereignty is attacked, it is necessary to respond. “If Pakistan continues to support terrorism, it will pay a heavier price,” he said. Recalling Pakistan’s declaration about 21 years ago in front of then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee that terrorism will no longer be exported from its land, Singh said Pakistan has been “deceiving India” for long. Pakistan must stop sheltering anti-India terrorist organisations and not allow its land to be used against India, he said.

Pakistan has reached an abysmal state where it seeks loans from the IMF, while India falls in the category of those countries which provide funds to the IMF so that they can help poor countries, he added.