Defence Ministry Removes Reference to Pakistan in Statement on Rajnath Talks with PETE Hegseth
STORIES, ANALYSES, EXPERT VIEWS
Ministry of Defence on July 1, 2025, made the biggest blunder of removing all reference to Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in a statement on Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh‘s telephone conversation with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
The two leaders had discussed a wide range of issues, from long-term cooperation in the defence sector, including training and military exchanges, to expanding the industry collaboration.
However, the most important part of the conversation was Rajnath Singh conveying India’s commitment to hit terror bases inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as a pre-emptive measure, concerning the now continuing Operation Sindoor.
However, within a few minutes of the statement being released, the defence ministry removed the most operational part of the statement, and obliterated, instead of Pakistan, all the references to Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.
“Speaking on Operation Sindoor, Rajnath Singh said India reserves the right to respond and defend against terrorism and pre-empt as well as deter any further cross-border attacks. India’s actions were measured, non-escalatory, proportionate, and focused on disabling terrorist infrastructure, he was quoted as saying by a Ministry of Defence statement on the conversation,” the statement had read earlier.
The defence ministry dropped these very lines without explanation on why it was removed or who ordered them to be removed. The amendment showed poorly on the Indian defence ministry’s communication skills and projected a weakness on the Indian part. By the time the amendment was issued, the statement was aired all over, on television channels, news wire, and social media.
The statement, uninspiringly, continued to have other matters of discussion between the two leaders:
The two leaders agreed to further build upon the momentum of this critical and mutually beneficial partnership across all its pillars, such as interoperability, integration of defence industrial supply chains, logistics sharing, increased joint military exercises, and cooperation with other like-minded partners.
Rajnath Singh appreciated the unwavering support extended by the US to India in its fight against terrorism. He stated that Pakistan’s long track record of cross-border terrorism is well known globally, adding that it has become a haven for terrorists from around the world, as internationally banned terrorists enjoy immunity there.
The Indian defence minister complimented the US Secretary of Defense for his dynamic leadership, which has propelled defence cooperation between the US and India to new levels. Pete Hegseth invited Rajnath Singh to the US for an in-person meeting to take the bilateral defence partnership forward.
In a post on X, Rajnath Singh stated that the discussions were held to review the ongoing and new initiatives to further deepen India-US defence partnership and strengthen cooperation in capacity building. He looked forward to meeting the US Secretary of Defense at an early date.
(Courtesy: Defence.Capital)
