New Delhi, May 30 (UNI) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday sent a clear message to Pakistan that if it tries to cast an evil eye on India, it is possible that New Delhi’s response will be at the hands of the Indian Navy.

Addressing the officers and sailors onboard India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant off the Goa coast, Rajnath Singh commended the Indian Navy’s “silent service” during Operation Sindoor, a Defence Ministry statement said.

“Operation Sindoor is not just a military action, but India’s frontal assault against terrorism, and if Pakistan resorts to anything evil or unethical, it will, this time, face the firepower and ire of the Indian Navy,” the Defence Minister said.

“The mighty Carrier Battle Group ensured that the Pakistani Navy did not venture out, or else it would have faced the consequences,” Rajnath said.
Rajnath called for the handing over of terrorists like Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar to India. “Both of them 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 also guilty of the Mumbai attacks, and justice must be done for his crime,” he said.
On Pakistan’s repeated offer of talks, the Defence Minister again clarified, “If there are talks, it will only be on terrorism and PoK. If Pakistan is serious about talks, it should hand over terrorists like Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar to India so that justice is served.”

Singh asserted that Pakistan needs to understand that the time is up for the dangerous game of terrorism it has been playing since independence.

“Now, 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 further added that 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, he said, emphasising that Pakistan must uproot the nursery of terrorism operating on its soil with its own hands.

Describing the Indian Navy’s role in the integrated operation as praiseworthy, Rajnath stated that when the Indian Air Force destroyed the terror bases on Pakistani soil, the Navy’s aggressive deployment in the Arabian Sea, its unmatched maritime domain awareness and supremacy confined the Pakistani Navy to its own shores.

“Our Western Fleet ships deployed at sea, within 96 hours of the Pahalgam terrorist attack, carried out successful firings of surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles and torpedoes on the western and eastern coast. It demonstrated the combat readiness of our platforms, systems and crew and our intent and readiness, forcing the enemy to come into a defensive posture,” he said. More UNI RBE SSP