Indian Army posts 1971 news clip amid US tariff row

The Indian Army, in an apparent dig at the US over its proposed penalty on India for buying weapons and crude oil from Russia, shared a newspaper clip from 1971, on Tuesday ( August 5), which shows how the US, along with China supplied arms to Pakistan for decades in the in the build-up for the 1971 war.

“This Day That Year" Build Up of War - 05 Aug 1971 #KnowFacts. US ARMS WORTH $2 BILLION SHIPPED TO PAKISTAN SINCE ‘54”, the Eastern Command of the Indian Army posted on X.

‘US arms supply to Pakistan’

The newspaper clip quotes the then Defence Production Minister VC Shukla informing the Rajya Sabha that India has contacted the NATO members and the erstwhile Soviet Union over arms supply to Pakistan following Pakistan’s military operation in Bangladesh.

Shukla was also quoted as saying that while the Soviet Union and France denied supplying arms to Pakistan, the US continued to provide military support to Pakistan.

Also Read: India rebuts US, EU criticism on Russian oil imports following Trump penalty

Arms worth $2 billion to Pakistan

The report further states that Shukla said that the US and China supplied arms to Pakistan at “throwaway prices.”

“Mr. Shukla said that both China and the USA supplied Pakistan with arms at concessional rates or ‘three-away prices’. The French sold them against hard cash ‘with no concessions’,” stated the report.

It further stated that, as per government estimate, the value of US arms shipments to Pakistan since they signed an arms pact with Islamabad in 1954 was $2 billion.

Also Read: Have India's Russian crude imports endured amid Trump tariff tantrums?

Trump’s tariff on India

The development comes days after US President Donald Trump slapped 25 per cent tariff on all goods from India along with an unspecified penalty for New Delhi’s purchase of oil and weapons from Russia.

However, Trump had slashed tariffs on Pakistan, reducing it to 19 per cent from the earlier 29 per cent.

"India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits. They don't care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine. Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA," stated Trump in a post on Truth Social.

Watch: Trump’s tariff hits Indian textiles: Tiruppur exporters under pressure

MEA responds

India has responded to Trump’s charges by pointing out that when it started importing oil from Russia following the COVID-19 outbreak, the US “actively encouraged” such imports.

“India has been targeted by the United States and the European Union for importing oil from Russia after the commencement of the Ukraine conflict. In fact, India began importing from Russia because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the conflict. The United States at that time actively encouraged such imports by India for strengthening global energy markets stability,” stated the Ministry of External Affairs in a statement on Monday (August 4)

“India’s imports are meant to ensure predictable and affordable energy costs to the Indian consumer. They are a necessity compelled by the global market situation. However, it is revealing that the very nations criticising India are themselves indulging in trade with Russia. Unlike our case, such trade is not even a vital national compulsion,” it added.