New Delhi, May 30 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said that 1971 is a witness to the fact that when the Indian Navy came into action, Pakistan became two from one. If the Indian Navy had come into form in Operation Sindoor, Pakistan would not only have been divided into two parts, but I think it would have been divided into four parts. The Defence Minister said this on Friday on INS Vikrant, a short distance from the coast of Goa.
Along with this, he said, “I want to say this again, very strongly, that Operation Sindoor is not over yet. This is just a pause, a warning. If Pakistan makes the same mistake again, then India’s answer will be even harsher, and this time, it will not get a chance to recover.”
The Defence Minister said that Operation Sindoor is not just a military action but India’s frontal assault against terrorism. We will use every means against terrorism that Pakistan can think of, but we will not hesitate to use those methods that Pakistan cannot even think of. The Defense Minister said that the forward deployment of our force as well as the force projection of the Vikrant Carrier Battle Group also gave an effective indication of our intention and capability.
The Defense Minister said that your strong preparation has already broken the spirit of the enemy. Your preparation alone was enough for Pakistan. You did not even need to take action, the enemy was stunned by your preparation itself. Pakistan not only realized the tremendous power of the Indian Navy, its military acumen and destructive capabilities, but it was also afraid of it. The Defense Minister said that Hafiz Saeed is the culprit of the ‘Mumbai attacks’. Justice should be done for the crime committed by his organization of raining death in Mumbai through the sea. This work cannot be done in Pakistan. Tahawwur Rana, an accused in the Mumbai attacks, has been brought to India recently. Pakistan is repeatedly offering talks. Yesterday, the Prime Minister of Pakistan has reiterated this, but India has clearly said that if there will be talks, it will be on terrorism and PoK. If Pakistan is serious about talks, then it should hand over terrorists like Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar to India so that justice can be done.
It is worth noting that INS Vikrant is India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier. This Indian aircraft carrier has both fighter jets and helicopters. More than 30 aircrafts can come in the aircraft carrier. The Defence Minister present here said, “We destroyed Pakistan’s terrorist base and its intentions. Our attack was so strong that Pakistan started pleading with the whole world to stop India. In the end, we stopped our military action on our own terms, I am repeating it again, on our own terms. Our forces had not even rolled up their sleeves yet, we had not even started showing our might. Today I am very happy to be on INS Vikrant, among our naval warriors. When I stand on INS Vikrant, the pride of India’s maritime power, then along with happiness, I also have a sense of pride and confidence that as long as the security of the nation’s maritime borders is in your strong hands, no one can look at India with a crooked eye.” The Defence Minister said, “I congratulate all of you on the success of the operation. When India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ after the cowardly terror attack in Pahalgam, the speed, depth and clarity with which our armed forces acted was amazing. It gave a clear message not only to the terrorists but also to their patrons that India no longer tolerates, India now gives a direct reply. The role of the Navy in this entire operation has been glorious. During Operation Sindoor, when the Air Force destroyed the terror bases on Pakistani soil, your aggressive deployment in the Arabian Sea, unmatched maritime domain awareness and maritime dominance confined the Pakistani army to its own shores. They could not even muster the courage to come into the open sea.” The Defence Minister said that within 96 hours of the terrorist attack, our Western Fleet ships deployed at sea carried out several successful firings of surface to surface and surface to air missiles and torpedoes on the western and eastern coast, which shows the war preparedness of our platforms, systems and crews. These long-range attacks also showed our preparedness against the enemy.
The Defence Minister said that today he has come here not only as the Defence Minister but as a grateful Indian. He said, I have come here to salute your dedication, appreciate your bravery and salute your hard work. Anyway, the meaning of ‘Vikrant’ is – indomitable courage, and unbeatable power. Today, standing among all you brave soldiers, I am seeing the meaning of this name coming true. The determination in your eyes reflects the real power of India. The Defence Minister said that today we are in an era where wars are not fought only with bullets and bombs, but also with cyber space, strategic dominance and strategic deterrence. I can say with pride that our Navy is moving ahead strongly in all these areas. Today the Indian Navy is not just the sentinel of the Indian Ocean, but has become a strategic force.
