If Pakistan serious about talks, it must hand over Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar: Rajnath Singh

Addressing officers and sailors onboard aircraft carrier INS Vikrant off the coast of Goa, Singh said, “It would be in Pakistan’s interest to uproot the nursery of terrorism, that is operating on its soil, with its own hands. And it should start by handing over terrorists like Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar to India. Both are not only in India’s list of ‘Most Wanted Terrorists’, they are also UN-designated terrorists. Tahawwur Rana, an accused in the Mumbai attacks, has been brought to India recently. Hafiz Saeed is guilty of the Mumbai attacks. We have still not forgotten, justice has to be done and, I believe, someday justice will be done. This cannot happen in Pakistan.”

“Pakistan is repeatedly making offers to talk. Yesterday too, Pakistan’s Prime Minister repeated this, but India has made it clear that if there are talks, they will only be on terrorism and PoK (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. And what that justice would look like, I don’t need to say this,” he said.

He said during Operation Sindoor, the Indian Navy impressed every Indian with its “silent service”.

“Despite remaining silent, the Indian Navy succeeded in tying down the Pakistan Army. This time, Pakistan did not have to face the firepower of the Indian Navy, but the world knows that if Pakistan does any evil act, then it is possible that this time the opening will be done by our Navy,” he said.

“1971 is witness that when the Indian Navy was pressed into action, Pakistan split into two (‘Pakistan ek se do ho gya thaa’). If the Indian Navy had come in its full form during Operation Sindoor, then Pakistan would not only have been divided into two parts, but I think, it would have been divided into four parts (‘Agar Operation Sindoor mein Bhartiya Nausena apne form mein aayi hoti, toh Pakistan ke do tukde hi na hote, balki mein samajhta hoon, shayad chaar tukde ho jaate),” he said.

Singh said when the Indian Air Force destroyed the terror bases on Pakistani soil, the Navy’s aggressive deployment in the Arabian Sea, its maritime domain awareness and supremacy confined the Pakistan Navy to its own shores.

“Within 96 hours of the Pahalgam terrorist attack, our Western Fleet ships, deployed at sea, carried out successful firing of surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles and torpedoes on the western and eastern coast,” he said.

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.

“Today, the whole world is acknowledging India’s right to protect its citizens against terrorism. Operation Sindoor is not just a military action, but India’s frontal assault against terrorism and if Pakistan resorts to anything nefarious, it will, this time, face the firepower and ire of the Indian Navy. If Pakistan instigates any terrorist act against India, it will have to bear the consequences and face defeat. India will not hesitate. It will use every method to root out the menace of terrorism,” he said.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it clear that if any terrorist attack takes place on Indian soil, it will be considered an “act of war” and responded in the same way.

Operation Sindoor, Singh said, sent a clear message to the terrorists and their patrons that India will no longer tolerate and give a befitting reply. “Within a very short span of time, we destroyed Pakistan’s terrorist base and its intentions. We stopped military actions on our own terms. Our forces had not even properly started showing their might,” he said.

“Whatever happened this time was just a ‘warm up’. If Pakistan again dares, then the Indian Navy will also be pressed into action, and only God then knows what will happen to Pakistan. The operation is not yet over. It is just a pause, a comma, a warning,” he said.

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