New Delhi:
Defence minister Rajnath Singh today said it is his responsibility to work with the armed forces and give a “befitting reply” to those who cast an evil eye on India.
The comments came amid the tension with Pakistan following the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 tourists.
India has said the terrorists have cross-border linkages.
“I want to assure you that under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, what you desire will certainly happen,” the Defence Minister said, alluding to what people across the nation have been talking about the need for a response to Pakistan.
“As the defence minister, it is my responsibility to work with my soldiers and ensure the protection of the country’s borders. And it is my responsibility to give a befitting reply, by working with the armed forces, to those who cast an evil eye on our country,” Mr Singh said.
Mr Singh was speaking at an event in Delhi. He said people know Prime Minister Narendra Modi very well and are quite familiar with his working style, his determination and the way he has learned to “take risks” in his life.
India has banned all Pakistani visas and suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, among other measures, as a response to the neighbouring country’s policy of sending terrorists to attack Indian forces and civilians in Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistani forces have also violated the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) many times in the last few days. Indian forces have responded with effective fire.
India launched an airstrike on a terrorist camp in Pakistan’s Balakot in February 2019 after a Pakistan-linked terrorist killed 40 Indian soldiers in a suicide bomb attack in Pulwama.
In 2016, Indian special forces carried out a surgical strike against targets in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) across the Line of Control in response to the killing of 19 Indian soldiers at an Indian Army camp near Jammu and Kashmir’s Uri.
With inputs from PTI
