New Delhi: Pakistan should hand over UN-designated terrorists Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar to India if it is serious about talks between the two countries, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday.
In an interaction with naval warriors onboard aircraft carrier INS Vikrant off Goa, Singh said if Pakistan resorts to anything “evil or unethical” against India, it will face the firepower and ire of the Indian Navy this time.
“I want to tell all of you not to leave any shortcomings in your preparations. What has happened so far was just a warm-up; if Pakistan dares to act again, this time the Navy will also spring into action, and then only God knows what will happen to Pakistan,” he said.
Singh said “Operation Sindoor is not over yet and this is just a pause, a warning. If Pakistan makes the same mistake again, India’s response will be even harsher, and this time, it will not get a chance to recover.”
Pakistan needs to understand that the time is up for the “dangerous game” of terrorism it has been playing since Independence and India will use every method to root out the menace, he said.
Anti-India activities are being carried out openly from Pakistani soil and India is “completely free” to carry out every kind of operation against terrorists on both sides of the border and the sea, Singh said.
The defence minister, highlighting the Indian Navy’s role during Operation Sindoor, said it succeeded in keeping the Pakistani military tied down.
When the Indian Air Force destroyed terror bases on Pakistani soil, the Indian Navy’s aggressive deployment in Arabian Sea confined Pakistani Navy to its own shores, he said.
Singh used his brief speech to the naval personnel to send a stern warning to Pakistan as he asserted that Operation Sindoor is not just a military action but India’s frontal assault against terrorism.
“We will use every method against terrorism that Pakistan can think of, but we will not hesitate to use those methods also which Pakistan cannot even think of,” he said.
The defence minister said it would be in Pakistan’s interest to “uproot the nurseries” of terrorism operating on its soil “with its own hands”.
“It should start by handing over terrorists like Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar to India. Both of them are not only on the list of ‘Most Wanted Terrorists’ in India but are also on the UN’s list of designated terrorists,” he said.
Azhar, the head of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad terror group, is wanted in India for the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, 2016 Pathankot airbase attacks and the 2019 Pulwama strike.
Saeed, the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group is known to be the mastermind of the Mumbai terror attack and wanted in several other terror cases in India.
“Today the whole world is acknowledging India’s right to protect its citizens against terrorism. Today no power in the world can stop India from doing this work,” he said.
On Pakistan’s repeated offer of talks, Singh clarified: “If there are talks, it will only be on terrorism and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir. If Pakistan is serious about talks, it should hand over terrorists like Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar to India so that justice is served.”
Commending the Indian Navy’s “silent service” during Operation Sindoor, Singh said the mighty Carrier Battle Group ensured that the Pakistani Navy did not venture out, or else it would have faced the consequences.
“1971 is a witness that when the Indian Navy sprang into action, Pakistan was split into two,” he said.
On the Operation Sindoor, he said “our strike was so powerful that Pakistan began pleading with entire world to stop India.”
In just a short span of time, we demolished Pakistan’s terrorist bases and its intentions, he said adding the speed, depth and clarity with which our armed forces acted were remarkable.
Operation Sindoor not only sent a clear message to terrorists but also to their patrons who nurture them, Singh said.
In end, on our own terms, we halted our military actions, he said.
India carried out precision strikes on nine terror infrastructures early on May 7 in response to the Pahalgam terror attack.
Following the Indian action, Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9 and 10.
The Pakistani attempts were strongly responded to by the Indian side by inflicting heavy damages to a number of key Pakistani military installations including air bases, air defence systems, command and control centres and radar sites.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on May 10 announced that India and Pakistan reached an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea, with immediate effect.
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