Pakistan's nuclear weapons should be brought under IAEA watch: Rajnath

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday (May 15) visited Jammu and Kashmir for the first time since Operation Sindoor, India's military strike on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir to avenge the April 22 Pahalgam attack.

Accompanied by J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, he reviewed and analysed the overall security scenario and the combat readiness of the Indian Army. He also inspected the damage caused by the Pakistani shells that were dropped in border areas.

'Rogue state'

While visiting the Badami Bagh Cantonment, Singh echoed the strong message given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Pakistan, calling for its nuclear weapons to be placed under the purview of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), as Pakistan's behaviour resembles that of a 'rogue' state.

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"The world knows that our army's aim is accurate and when they hit the target, they leave the counting to the enemies. How strong is India's pledge against terrorism today...it can be known from the fact that we did not even care about their nuclear blackmail. The whole world has seen how irresponsibly Pakistan has threatened India. Today, from the land of Srinagar, I want to raise this question whether nuclear weapons are safe in the hands of such an irresponsible and rogue nation. I believe that Pakistan's nuclear weapons should be taken under the supervision of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)," he said.

Brave sacrifices of jawans

Singh also emphasised the brave sacrifices of the Armed forces, saying, "I would like to bow to the supreme sacrifice of the brave jawans while they fought terrorism and terrorists. I pay respect to their memory."

He continued by saying, "I also pay respect to the innocent civilians who were killed in Pahalgam. I also salute the valour of the injured soldiers and pray to God that they may recover at the earliest."

Also read: IAEA rejects claims of nuclear radiation leakage in Kirana Hills

'India will hit back'

He further clarified that India will respond to any further terror or state-sponsored attacks as an 'Act of war', and that this will become the new policy for all matters on Pakistan.

He also mentioned that no dialogue with Pakistan will be possible unless it focuses solely on terrorism and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).