Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday responded to his Pakistani counterpart’s threat to strike Kolkata in West Bengal with a stern warning and a reminder of what happened 55 years ago.
Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif warned on Saturday that his country would attack the city of Kolkata in eastern India if the neighbor attempted to carry out any “false flag operations.”
These comments came days after Rajnath Singh warned India’s “neighbours” against any “bad adventures”.
Asked about Asif’s comments on Tuesday during a public rally in Bengal heading to the polls, Rajnath Singh asked the Pakistani Defense Minister to refrain from making such a provocative statement, given the consequences they suffered in the 1971 war that divided Pakistan into two parts.
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a major military conflict between the two countries that led to the creation of Bangladesh.
“Fifty-five years ago, they suffered the consequences when Pakistan was divided into two parts. If they try to cast their eyes on Bengal, God only knows how many parts Pakistan will be divided into this time,” Rajnath Singh said.
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Speaking to reporters in his hometown of Sialkot, Asif said: “If India tries any false flag operation this time, we will, God willing, take it to Kolkata,” news agency PTI reported.
He further said: “If India plans some fake operations through its men or through the Pakistani people in their custody by planting bodies somewhere and claiming that they are terrorists who did such and such, then Pakistan will take it to Kolkata.”
Last week, Rajnath Singh issued a major warning of decisive action to India’s “neighbor” if it undertakes any “misadventure” amid the current global situation due to the war with Iran.
“Our neighbour, in the current situation, can commit any misadventure. If it does so, India’s move will be unprecedented and decisive,” Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said without mentioning his name, adding that Operation Sindoor is not over yet.
Singh was speaking at the Sainik Samman Samlan Center in Kerala, which is heading to the polls.
Rajnath Singh’s comments appeared to be referring to Pakistan, against which India launched military strikes with Operation Sindoor in May last year in response to a deadly terror attack that took place a month ago in the Pahalgam district of Jammu and Kashmir.
