Kochi, May 30 —Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday issued a sharp warning to Pakistan, saying that any future conflict may see the Indian Navy firing the opening salvo, a departure from previous engagements. The statement came during his visit aboard the INS Vikrant, India’s indigenously built aircraft carrier, which played a key role during Operation Sindoor earlier this month.
“This time Pakistan did not have to face the firepower of the Indian Navy,” Singh told naval personnel. “But the world knows — if Pakistan does any nefarious act, it is possible that next time the Navy will open the account of firing.”
The minister praised the Indian Navy for keeping Pakistan’s forces “bottled up” during the operation conducted from May 7 to 10, in the aftermath of the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives.
“The Indian Navy succeeded in tying down the Pakistani armed forces,” Singh said. INS Vikrant, a 45,000-tonne warship, and its strike group, including submarines and destroyers, established a 300-km secure air defence bubble off the coast of Karachi, preventing potential countermeasures from across the sea.
Calling Pakistan’s support for terrorism “a dangerous game that is now over,” Singh warned that India would retaliate across borders — by land or sea — whenever provoked. “India is free to carry out every kind of operation against terrorists, whether on this side or that side of the border and the sea,” he said.
Referring to international efforts to de-escalate recent tensions, Singh stated unequivocally, “No power in the world can stop India from doing its work against terrorism.”
He took aim at Pakistan’s repeated offers of talks, calling them hollow unless they are accompanied by tangible action. “If Pakistan is serious about talks, it should hand over terrorists like Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar to India so that justice can be done,” Singh said.
Both individuals are listed as “UN-Designated Terrorists” and are accused of masterminding terror attacks on Indian soil. Singh specifically cited the 2008 Mumbai attacks and Saeed’s involvement. “Justice should be done for the crime committed by his organisation of spreading death in Mumbai through sea route,” he added.
The Defence Minister’s remarks come amid a larger diplomatic and military posture shift, as Operation Sindoor continues to draw attention to India’s counter-terrorism preparedness and maritime strike capabilities.
