Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday warned Pakistan that India is prepared to carry out “every kind of strike” against terrorism if Islamabad continues what he described as a state policy of terrorism, while making clear that New Delhi would not compromise on national security.
Speaking at the NDTV Defence Conclave, Singh said India does not seek war or the territory of another country, but stressed that its commitment to peace should not be mistaken for weakness.
“India believes in peace. India never wants war. India never wants to capture the land of any foreign country in the world. India doesn't even want to threaten anyone. But there is a difference between peace and cowardice, and the whole world should understand this,” he said.
“India wants peace, but India will not compromise on its security under any circumstances,” Singh added.
Rajnath Singh draws line between dialogue and terrorism
The Defence Minister said India remained committed to dialogue, but argued that the scope for discussions ended when another country provided support or shelter to terrorism directed against India.
“India believes in dialogue. India believes in dialogue, but if any country gives shelter to terrorism against India, then the scope of dialogue ends right there,” he said.
Singh also referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent remarks at the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, where Modi called for the dismantling of the entire ecosystem of terrorism, including its financing, recruitment, radicalisation and safe havens. Modi said countries that use terrorism as an instrument of policy and provide support or shelter to terrorists must be told that terrorism cannot be a “strategic asset” for anyone.
Building on that position, Singh issued a direct message to Pakistan.
“As long as our neighbor continues the state policy of terrorism, India is completely ready for every kind of strike against terrorism. We want to tell our neighbor as well as the world,” he said.
He added that India’s military operations, international partnerships and pursuit of global stability would remain subject to its national interests and strategic autonomy.
“India wants operations, but we do not want operations at the cost of national interests. India wants cooperation, but not at the cost of national interests. India wants global stability, but not at the cost of its strategic autonomy. Our policy is very clear. India is a proponent of peace, but India will not make any kind of compromise regarding its security,” Singh said.
Defence minister rejects ‘Thucydides Trap’ framework
Singh also used the concept of the “Thucydides Trap” while discussing India’s position in the changing global order.
Explaining the concept, he said it describes a situation in which the rise of a new power can generate conflict with an already established major power, creating tensions between a revisionist power and a status quo power.
“Thucydides Trap means that when a country rises, often its conflict happens with the pre-established powerful countries... the conflict between revisionist power and status-quoist power almost always happens; you can look at the past history of the world,” he said.
Singh, however, described such a framework as a narrow way of viewing international relations and said it should not be applied to India.
“We should not fall into any such binary. In the context of India, this thing does not fit at all. India is neither a status-quoist power nor a revisionist power. I believe we are a civilizational power; we also need to understand this fact,” he said.
His remarks came as India and Pakistan continued to trade accusations and warnings at international forums over terrorism, Kashmir, the Indus Waters Treaty and the events surrounding the May 2025 military confrontation.
Jaishankar, Sharif trade barbs at UN
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday also asserted India's right to defend itself against terrorism in his address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
Without naming Pakistan directly, Jaishankar referred to the previous day’s speaker as a “serial practitioner of terrorism” and said arguments had been made to “normalise terrorism” and claim immunity from its consequences.
“That will not stand. Our right to defend ourselves against terrorism will be exercised,” Jaishankar said.
He added that “friendship and goodwill cannot coexist with terrorism” and that understandings based on such circumstances would naturally come under scrutiny. He also said it was for the perpetrator of terrorism to change its course.
Jaishankar’s remarks followed Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s UNGA address, in which Sharif raised the Kashmir issue and revisited the May 2025 confrontation with India. Sharif credited US President Donald Trump with intervening to prevent the conflict from escalating into a wider war. India has repeatedly rejected the claim that the ceasefire was brokered by a third party, maintaining that the cessation of hostilities followed direct communication between the two countries’ military establishments.
Sharif also warned that any attempt by India to stop, impede or divert Pakistan’s share of the Indus waters would be treated as an “act of war”. He said India’s decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance had no legal basis.
India has maintained that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of the country and has consistently rejected Pakistan’s references to the dispute at international forums.
The May 2025 confrontation followed the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 civilians were killed. India subsequently launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting what it described as terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire on May 10 after four days of fighting. Contemporary reporting noted US diplomatic involvement, while India has subsequently maintained that the ceasefire was reached through direct military-to-military communication.
The latest statements from Singh and Jaishankar come against this continuing backdrop of disagreement between New Delhi and Islamabad over terrorism, military escalation, Kashmir and water-sharing arrangements.