'Nuclear weapons not safe with Pakistan, should be under IAEA supervision': Rajnath Singh in Srinagar 

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, during his visit to the Badami Bagh Cantonment in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, called for Pakistan's nuclear weapons to be placed under international supervision, echoing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tough message to Islamabad just days earlier.

"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 the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),” Singh said.

Addressing troops during his visit, Singh said Pakistan's repeated and irresponsible nuclear threats demand global scrutiny, pointing to the need for international monitoring of its arsenal. “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,” he said.

His remarks came just days after Prime Minister Modi's declaration: “When our armed forces neutralise nuclear blackmail, our enemies realise the meaning of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai'."

Singh arrived in Srinagar five days after India and Pakistan reached a ceasefire agreement. He was received by Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, who also visited forward posts under the Dagger Division of the Chinar Corps and praised the troops for their dominance along the Line of Control during Operation Sindoor.

In his address, Singh reaffirmed India’s doctrinal shift in handling terrorism. “The entire country is proud of what you did during Operation Sindoor under the able leadership and guidance of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I may be your Defence Minister but before that I am a citizen of India. The people of Jammu and Kashmir have expressed their anger towards Pakistan and terrorism with complete unity. I congratulate the people of Jammu and Kashmir. I have come to feel the energy that has destroyed the enemy. The way you destroyed the Pakistani posts and weavers across the border, the enemy can never forget that,” he said.

He also made it clear that no dialogue with Pakistan is possible unless it focusses solely on terrorism and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Singh hailed Operation Sindoor as the largest counter-terror operation in India’s history, affirming the country’s readiness to dismantle cross-border terror networks. During his visit, he also inspected Pakistani shells recovered from the Badami Bagh Cantonment—an area that, along with other LoC villages in Jammu and Kashmir, was among the worst hit during the four-day conflict between May 7 and May 10.

The Defence Minister’s visit follows Prime Minister Modi's stop at Adampur Air Force base in Punjab, where he met pilots and ground crew involved in the operation that targeted nine terror camps deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Notably, Adampur was one of four Indian airbases targeted by Pakistan on the night of May 9–10 in a failed retaliatory attempt.