Our actions were just a trailer, will show the full picture if need be: Rajnath on Operation Sindoor
Bhuj (Guj), May 16 (PTI): India on Friday pressed the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to reconsider its USD one billion assistance to Pakistan, saying Islamabad could use a large part of it to fund the terrorist infrastructure.
In an address to air warriors at Gujarat's Bhuj Air Force station, Singh confirmed use of the 'BrahMos' supersonic missiles in the Operation Sindoor and said the weapon showed Pakistan the "light of day in the darkness of night".
Sending a clear and firm message to Islamabad, the defence minister made it clear that the operation is not yet over as the current ceasefire means that India has kept Pakistan on "probation" on the basis of its behaviour.
"If the behaviour improves, it is fine; but if there is any disturbance, harshest punishment will be given," he said.
"Our actions were just a trailer, we will show the full picture, if need be. Attacking and eliminating terrorism is the new normal of new India," he said.
Under Operation Sindoor, India on early May 7 destroyed nine terror infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (PoK) in retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack.
All subsequent retaliations by Pakistan were carried out under the operation. The two sides reached an understanding on cessation of hostilities on May 10 after four days of confrontations.
In his remarks, Singh said Pakistan has again started trying to rebuild the terror infrastructure destroyed by India last week and that Islamabad will "spend the collected from the common citizens of Pakistan to pay around Rs 14 crore to Masood Azhar, the head of the terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad" and a UN designated terrorist.
The Bhuj air force base was one of the military installations that Pakistan targeted during the four-day confrontation between the two militaries.
Singh cautioned against providing financial support to Pakistan saying any such assistance would be no less than terror funding.
In its board meeting in Washington on May 9, the IMF cleared a USD one billion tranche for Pakistan as part of its USD 7-billion funding programme for the country.
"The Pakistan government has announced financial assistance to rebuild the terror infrastructure of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed located in Muridke and Bahawalpur," Singh said.
"Certainly, a large part of IMF's USD one billion assistance will be used to fund the terror infrastructure. Will this not be considered indirect funding by IMF, an international organisation?"
"Any financial assistance to Pakistan is no less than terror funding. The funds India gives to IMF should not be used, directly or indirectly, to create terror infrastructure in Pakistan or any other country," he said.
The defence minister said India would like the IMF to reconsider USD one billion support to Pakistan and refrain from giving any kind of assistance in future.
He commended the "effective" role played by the Indian Air Force (IAF) in Operation Sindoor which he said is being appreciated by the world.
Lauding the air warriors for eliminating the terror camps in Pakistan and PoK in just 23 minutes, he said "when missiles were dropped inside the enemy territory, the world heard the echoes of India's valour and might."
He added that IAF spearheaded this campaign against terrorism, and during the operation, it not only dominated the enemy, but decimated them.
Singh highlighted that India's fighter jets are capable of striking every corner of Pakistan without crossing the border. "The world has witnessed how IAF destroyed terror camps and later Pakistan's airbases. The IAF gave the proof that India's war policy and technology have changed."
"They conveyed the message of New India that we are not just dependent on weapons and platforms imported from aboard, but Made in India equipment have become a part of our military power. The weapons manufactured in India are also impenetrable," he said.
Singh added that Pakistan has itself accepted the power of the 'BrahMos' missile. This Made in India missile showed Pakistan the light of day in the darkness of night, he said, noting India's air defence system, including assets like Akash missile systems have played a tremendous role.
On his interaction with the brave Indian Army soldiers in Srinagar on Thursday and the air warriors and soldiers in Bhuj on Friday, Singh said he is, once again, convinced that India's borders are completely safe.
"I've witnessed the highest level of enthusiasm and patriotism among the soldiers on both the fronts. What our forces did during Operation Sindoor has filled the country with pride," he said.
"The effective role played by the Indian Air Force in Operation Sindoor is being appreciated not only in this country but also in other countries." "In this operation, you have not only dominated the enemy but have also succeeded in decimating them," he said.
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US spies said Iran wasn't building nuclear weapon. Trump dismisses that assessment
Washington, Jun 17 (AP): Tulsi Gabbard left no doubt when she testified to Congress about Iran's nuclear programme earlier this year.
The country was not building a nuclear weapon, the national intelligence director told lawmakers, and its supreme leader had not reauthorised the dormant programme.
But President Donald Trump dismissed the assessment of US spy agencies during an overnight flight back to Washington as he cut short his trip to the Group of Seven (G7) summit to focus on the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.
“I don't care what she said,” Trump told reporters. In his view, Iran was “very close” to having a nuclear bomb.
Trump's statement aligned him with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has described a nuclear-armed Iran as an imminent threat, rather than with his own top intelligence adviser.
The Republican president was expected to meet with national security officials in the Situation Room on Tuesday as he plans next steps.
Trump's contradiction of Gabbard echoed his feuds with US spy leaders during his first term, when he viewed them as part of a “deep state” that was undermining his agenda. Most notably, he sided with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2018 when asked if Moscow had interfered in the 2016 election, saying Putin was “extremely strong and powerful in his denial.”
The latest break over Iran was striking because Trump has staffed his second administration with loyalists rather than establishment figures. Gabbard, a military veteran and former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, was narrowly confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate because of her scant experience with intelligence or managing sprawling organisations.
Gabbard, who left the Democratic Party in 2022 and endorsed Trump, is expected to testify Tuesday in a closed session on Capitol Hill, along with CIA Director John Ratcliffe, during a previously scheduled budget hearing. Both officials would likely face questions about their views on Iran and Trump's latest statements.
Representatives for Gabbard and the CIA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Gabbard, in her March testimony to lawmakers, said the intelligence community was closely monitoring Iran's nuclear programme, noting that its “enriched uranium stockpile is at its highest levels and is unprecedented for a state without nuclear weapons.”
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly warned that Iran has enough enriched uranium to make several nuclear bombs should it choose to do so.
Iran maintains its nuclear programme is peaceful.
An earlier intelligence report, released in November under then-President Joe Biden, a Democrat, also said Iran “is not building a nuclear weapon.”
However, it said the country has “undertaken activities that better position it to produce one, if it so chooses,” such as increasing stockpiles of enriched uranium and operating more advanced centrifuges.
The report did not include any estimates for a timeline for how quickly a bomb could be built.
Trump's immigration agenda is another place where he's split with intelligence assessments. He cited the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 wartime law, to deport Venezuelan migrants, which he justified by claiming that the Tren de Aragua gang was coordinating with the Venezuelan government. However, an intelligence assessment in April found no evidence of that.
Gabbard fired the two veteran intelligence officers who led the panel that created the assessment, saying they were terminated because of their opposition to Trump.
In response to those reports, the White House released a statement from Gabbard supporting the president.
“President Trump took necessary and historic action to safeguard our nation when he deported these violent Tren de Aragua terrorists,” the statement said. “Now that America is safer without these terrorists in our cities, deep state actors have resorted to using their propaganda arm to attack the President's successful policies.”
