Standing amid the snow-peaked backdrop of Srinagar’s Badami Bagh Cantonment an area that recently came under Pakistani shelling Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh unleashed a blistering rebuke of Pakistan’s nuclear irresponsibility, declaring it a threat to global peace. He demanded that Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal be immediately placed under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), citing decades of repeated threats, duplicity, and state-sponsored terrorism.
“Can the World Trust a Terror Exporting State with Nuclear Weapons?”
Addressing Indian Army soldiers fresh from the successful Operation Sindoor, Rajnath Singh minced no words:
“I want to ask the world from this land of Srinagar are nuclear weapons safe in the hands of such an irresponsible and rogue nation like Pakistan?” “Pakistan has repeatedly issued nuclear threats like a street thug flaunting a gun. The world cannot afford to ignore this anymore.”
His remarks come on the heels of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s warning earlier this week, where the PM declared:
“When our armed forces neutralise nuclear blackmail, our enemies realise the true meaning of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’.” Rajnath Singh hailed Operation Sindoor as India’s most comprehensive and coordinated counter-terror operation, executed in the wake of the barbaric Pahalgam terror attack that targeted pilgrims and civilians.
“Terrorists killed our people because of their religion. We killed those terrorists for their crimes. This is the difference between them and us,” Rajnath Singh slammed. “Operation Sindoor is not just a military operation it is a declaration. We will not tolerate terror, we will eliminate it.”
From May 7 to May 10, Indian forces targeted and destroyed nine terror hubs deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, sending a chilling message to terror groups and their ISI handlers. In retaliation, Pakistan attempted a failed counterstrike, targeting four IAF stations, including Punjab’s Adampur airbase.
“Our Air Force, Army, and Special Forces fought in perfect coordination. We destroyed Pakistani posts, camps, and terror bunkers with such precision that their own government was forced into silence,” Rajnath Singh added, praising the forces’ “pinpoint accuracy.”
“Pakistan has lied for 21 years, now it must be held accountable”
The Defence Minister reminded the world of Pakistan’s broken promise in 2004, when it assured late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee that terrorism would no longer be exported from its soil.
“They lied to Vajpayee ji. They lied to the world. And they continue to provide safe haven to terror kingpins who plot against India daily,” Rajnath Singh said. “This is a country that glorifies terrorists as martyrs and uses nuclear weapons as a diplomatic tool of blackmail.”
He contrasted India’s global standing with Pakistan’s economic decline: “India gives funds to the IMF. Pakistan begs for loans from the IMF. Can the world trust such a bankrupt, failed state with nuclear weapons?”
IAEA Oversight
For the first time, an Indian Defence Minister has openly called on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to step in and monitor Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal.
“We are not talking about conventional warfare anymore. We are talking about a nation that sponsors terror and then threatens nuclear war. This is not a regional issue—it is a global emergency,” Rajnath Singh warned. “The world must ensure that Pakistan’s nuclear buttons are not in the hands of jihadist sympathisers or military fanatics.”
India’s demand could trigger a global diplomatic churn, as concerns mount over Pakistan’s internal instability, increasing radicalisation within its military ranks, and the blurred lines between terror groups and state structures.
Rajnath Singh invoked the new national security paradigm shaped under Prime Minister Narendra Modi: “Any terror attack on Indian soil will now be considered an act of war. This is the new doctrine. There is no more strategic restraint. There is only strategic retaliation.”
He emphasised that dialogue with Pakistan is dead unless it focuses exclusively on two issues: terrorism and the complete reintegration of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir into Bharat.
Rajnath Singh’s speech was not merely a tribute to the soldiers but a battle cry. He paid homage to the martyrs of Pahalgam, praised the injured soldiers who fought valiantly in Operation Sindoor, and commended the people of Jammu and Kashmir for uniting against Pakistan-sponsored terror.
“From every village in Jammu and Kashmir, I hear one message: Enough is enough. We will not be terrorised anymore. We will hit back harder every time,” he declared.
He also praised the Army’s technological preparedness, stating that India’s Armed Forces are being rapidly modernised with indigenous systems: “Be it smart rifles, drone defences, missile shields, or LoC infrastructure—we are building for a future where no enemy will dare provoke us again.”
As he concluded his address to troops at Badami Bagh Cantonment, Rajnath Singh left behind a message for the international community: “Terrorism is a cancer, and Pakistan is the laboratory. But now the patient is out of control, holding nuclear triggers with trembling hands. The world cannot wait any longer. It must act. And if the world doesn’t act—India will.”
