Pahalgam Attack – Dharma, Op Sindoor – Karma: Rajnath Singh Explains How India And Pakistan Think
peaking in Hyderabad, Telangana, Rajnath Singh asserted that the New India knows how to give a befitting reply. Image courtesy: X.com/@rajnathsingh
At Hyderabad Liberation Day, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made it clear that India’s patience should never be mistaken for weakness. Citing Operation Sindoor, the 2016 Surgical Strike and the 2019 Balakot Air Strike, he reminded the nation that New Delhi’s first instinct is dialogue but when talks fail, India does not hesitate to wield hard power.
Linking his remarks to the recent Pahalgam attack, Singh drew a sharp contrast that terrorists killed innocents in the name of dharma, while the Indian Armed Forces struck back in Pakistan and PoK during Operation Sindoor in the name of karma. The Defence Minister praised the armed forces for their precision and courage.
Addressing the Hyderabad Liberation Day event on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, defence minister Singh underlined that while the strong and resolute New India, under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, believes in dialogue, it knows how to give a befitting reply to those who fail to understand the language of peace.
Once again, Singh has stressed that Operation Sindoor is “only on hold”, and India would be ready to resume if cross-border terrorism rears its head again.
India-Pakistan ceasefire: Why India rejected outside intervention?
In a firm statement, the defence minister underscored that New Delhi turned down international offers of mediation during Operation Sindoor. “No third party can interfere in India’s internal matters,” he said, reiterating New Delhi’s position that national security decisions are sovereign, not subject to outside pressure.
Worth mentioning here is that Pakistan’s deputy PM and foreign minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar recently backed what India has been saying for several months. In an interview with Al Jazeera, he revealed that New Delhi categorically refused any third-party mediation in resolving bilateral issues with Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.
Not only did Dar backed India, but also rejected Trump’s repeated claims that the US brokered the ceasefire between the two neighbours.
“We don’t mind, but India has categorically been stating it’s bilateral. We don’t mind bilateral. However, the dialogue must be comprehensive, encompassing terrorism, trade, economy, and Jammu & Kashmir,” he said, adding unless India wishes to have dialogue, we can’t force dialogue. We don’t wish to force dialogue.”
Operation Polo 1948: How history shaped today’s resolve?
Drawing parallels with the past, Singh hailed Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel as the “Iron Man” whose decisive leadership ensured the merger of Hyderabad through Operation Polo in 1948. “It was not merely a military action,” he said, “but Patel’s blow that ended the Razakars’ conspiracy and brought Hyderabad into the Indian fold.”
The Defence Minister said the success of Operation Polo remains a reminder that India has always been capable of defending its unity.
Noting that Hyderabad Liberation Day coincides with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday, Singh compared Modi’s leadership to Patel’s legacy, crediting him with strengthening India “culturally, socially, spiritually and economically.” He added with confidence that India is on track to become the world’s third-largest economy.
“Today, India does not take dictation from anyone; it writes its own script,” he declared.
