Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, while addressing members of the Indian community in Germany, lauded Operation Sindoor and remarked that all of India’s neighbouring countries are on good terms with it, except for one that he described as 'troublesome'.
Singh made these comments on Wednesday, April 22, marking one year since the deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, that stunned the nation and claimed 26 lives, most of them civilians.
During his speech in Germany, Singh issued a veiled warning to Pakistan, remarking that if a neighbouring country attempts to cause trouble, then 'dot, dot, dot'.
Praising the Indian forces for Operation Sindoor, carried out from May 7 to 10 last year in response to the Pahalgam terror attack and intended to eliminate terror targets in Pakistan, Singh stated that India’s military has grown stronger than before.
There is no need for me to recount what our army achieved in Operation Sindoor... Our military strength has also grown compared to before," he said.India has never initiated an attack on any country in the world from its own side. However, if a neighbour attempts to cause trouble, then ‘dot, dot, dot’... All our neighbours are fine; only one causes problems, he added.
The defence minister also discussed India’s shift from relying on imports to meet its defence needs to emerging as an exporter.In the past, to meet our defence needs, we largely depended on imports. However, this situation has changed significantly. We have transitioned from being importers to becoming exporters. You will be pleased to know that this time we have exported defence items worth approximately ₹39,000 crore, he said.
Rajnath Singh on Strait of Hormuz
During his three-day trip to Germany, Singh also spoke before the German Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence and Security on the opening day, where he discussed the continuing tensions in West Asia.
Singh emphasized that the situation in the Strait of Hormuz—a crucial corridor for global energy shipments now subject to restrictions by both Iran and the United States—is not an isolated issue but one with far-reaching global repercussions, particularly for India, which depends on imports to satisfy its energy requirements.
He said that for a developing nation such as India, which depends heavily on the West Asian region to meet a large portion of its energy needs, disturbances in the Strait of Hormuz are not remote incidents but harsh realities that have immediate consequences for the country’s security and economic stability. He noted, however, that India has implemented an active and coordinated approach to address these challenges.
