‘Your preparation alone was enough’: Rajnath Singh on Indian Navy’s maritime supremacy

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that India stopped the military action on its own terms and lauded the role of the navy in the conflict with Pakistan. The minister lauded India’s “unmatched maritime domain awareness” and “maritime supremacy”. 

Singh visited INS Vikrant, India’s first indigenously-built aircraft carrier which is currently deployed in the Arabian Sea. This visit comes after the Indian Navy’s strategic Carrier Battle Group, led by INS Vikrant, played a decisive role in the military action against Pakistan. 

"Our attack was so strong that Pakistan started pleading to the world to stop India. We stopped our military actions on our own terms. The role of the Navy in this entire integrated operation has been glorious. During Operation Sindoor, when the Air Force destroyed the terror bases on Pakistani soil, your deployment in the Arabian Sea, unmatched maritime domain awareness and maritime supremacy confined the Pakistani Navy to its own shores. They could not even muster the courage to come into the open sea,” he said to naval personnel aboard the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant off Goa.

The Navy’s preparation alone was sufficient to scare Pakistan, said Singh. “Your strong preparation has already broken the morale of the enemy. Your preparation alone was enough for Pakistan. You did not even need to take action; the enemy was stunned by your preparation itself. Pakistan not only realised the tremendous power of the Indian Navy, its military acumen and destructive capabilities, but they were also afraid of it,” said Singh.  

He said that Pakistan needs to understand clearly that the "dangerous game" of terrorism it has been playing against India since Independence is over. Singh issued a stern warning to Islamabad, stating that India will not hesitate to use methods against terrorism that Pakistan cannot even imagine.

"We will use every method against terrorism that Pakistan can think of, but we will not hesitate to use those methods also which Pakistan cannot even think of," he said. The defence minister urged Pakistan to uproot the "nurseries of terrorism" operating on its soil. He pointed out that anti-India activities are being carried out openly from Pakistani territory and said India is free to carry out operations against terrorists on both sides of the border and sea.

Singh added that the world now acknowledges India's right to protect its citizens against terrorism and that no power can stop India from doing so.