'Any future adventure will draw unimaginable response', Defence Minister to Pakistan The 27th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas on Sunday saw Defence Minister Rajnath Singh send a strong warning to Pakistan: ‘Should Pakistan dare to engage in any misadventure in future, they would be invited to an action “beyond their imagination”.’ Singh who was at the Kargil War Memorial in Dras in Ladakh paid tribute to the fallen soldiers during 1999 Kargil War.
Addressing on the 27th anniversary, he reaffirmed his government’s determination to defend India’s territorial integrity. Kargil Vijay Diwas is celebrated on the 26th of every year in memory of India’s win against infiltration by Pakistani forces on strategised peaks along the Line of Control in Kargil region of Ladakh.
The conflict in 1999 is among the pivotal moments in India’s post-independence military history and is yearly commemorated in Dras with participation of the political and military leadership, including the Defense Minister.
Speaking at the event, Singh said India and the armed forces of the nation were capable of answering any folly by Pakistan in a manner its leadership will not suspect, adding that hostile actions would meet the same fate. Referring to India's 1999 triumph over Pakistan, Singh called it a jewel in the crown, using it as a reminder of the spirit of the armed forces.
The minister said the earlier military operation—Operation Sindoor—launched in response to cross-border terrorism proved beyond doubt what those who try to menace India through terrorism would finally receive, as he stressed that warnings by India were met with proof. Contrasting the paths taken by the two nations, Singh noted the emphasis by both countries—India on setting up data centers and ship design—while he described Pakistan to continue funding radical centers and the terror machine industry.
Apart from the security warning, Singh utilised the occasion to re-confirm the established government's diplomatic stance that any future conversation between India and Pakistan can at most centre around PoK. Pakistan's denial of PoK, which Singh described as "India illegally occupied", said he would not be discussing anything else with Islamabad.
A position reiterated numerous times over the years in this way has shut any door for comprehensive India-Pakistan discourse until that issue is resolved. Singh also threw the charge of 'institutionalization of terrorism' with "Pakistan's state policies". Used against, the charge made its way into India's response to every major infiltration and border intrusion. In this manner, it is possible to create an impression that it isn't because of the present situation that it has been decided that dialogues could only involve PoK but the government's moral stand.
Prime Minister Singh said that India’s security forces always had the capacity to defend the nation in previous decades as well. But the key development, according to him, is not the capacity but the will. According to PM, this government has never faltered in its resolve to grant any approval for decisive action in regard to security, and the government shall continue to extend its full support in this direction.
Hence, now security is being assured by coupling the will and the capacity. Taking a cue from the victory of the 1999 Kargil War, he stated: “Capt. Vikram Batra once famously declared during those tough battles that ‘This flag will not only remain unfurled over there, I will bring that itself on my dead body’. These ideals have ever inspired our soldiers… the soldiers of this great nation and also inspire us to work continuously towards the national security.”
Singh's comments on Sunday are part of a consistent discourse that he has initiated over the past few years when addressing Kargil Vijay Diwas – an event dedicated to commemorating war heroes has served as a platform to issue stern warnings to Pakistan.
During previous speeches at Dras or other strategic locations, he had on multiple occasions stated that India was "capable of crossing the LoC if necessary," and has often vowed "retaliation that is effective and timely" to any provocation in tactical areas like Sir Creek. Sunday's address, given the existing regional security scenarios, is not an aberration from this set-up. A plethora of functions were organised in the morning by the armed forces to commemorate the martyrdom and bravery of troops who had participated in the 1999 conflict, with military as well as civil administration laying wreaths at war memorials at various places.
