Rajnath Singh says Operation Sindoor ‘paused’, could resume

KARACHI: Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has suggested India may resume Operation Sindoor, saying it had only been “paused” and could be restarted depending on Pakistan’s conduct.

Speaking during an interaction with the Indian community in Morocco on Monday, Singh remarked: “Whether part 2 remains to be done or part 3, we can’t say. It depends on their [Pakistan’s] conduct. If they indulge in terrorist activities, they will get a reply”. He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had already stated that the operation was not concluded but merely halted.

Singh also claimed that Indian forces had struck ‘militant’ hideouts 100 kilometres inside Pakistani territory following the Pahalgam attack earlier this year, and alleged that a senior member of Jaish-e-Mohammed had acknowledged the killing of Masood Azhar’s family in the attacks. He was not forthcoming with any actual details though, saying it might prompt “people to start jumping for joy”.

The Indian defence minister said he had convened a high-level security meeting in New Delhi a day after the Pahalgam incident, which included India’s National Security Adviser, defence secretary, service chiefs, and the chief of defence staff. The following day, he said, Modi authorised the armed forces to respond as they deemed fit.

His remarks come as opposition parties in India have criticised the Modi government for agreeing to a ceasefire after Operation Sindoor.On Azad Kashmir, Singh repeated earlier assertions that the territory would eventually join India without theneed for war. “PoK will be ours on its own. Demands have started being made in PoK, you must have heard sloganeering”, he said. He added that he had conveyed the same sentiment five years ago while addressing troops in Indian Occupied Kashmir, predicting that Azad Kashmir itself would one day declare, “Main bhi Bharat hoon” (I too am India).Singh is currently on a two-day visit to Morocco, the first by any Indian defence minister.