In a veiled coup against Pakistan, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday that countries that cannot protect their sovereignty and cannot even build roads or trade themselves become India’s “neighbors”.
Singh’s comments are seen as an indirect reference to Pakistan, where China has rapidly increased its influence in an increasing number of areas, including trade and infrastructure development.
In a speech at an online event, Singh also highlighted the effective response of the Indian armed forces in dealing with various security threats, including challenging the country’s territorial integrity or confronting cross-border terrorism.
“Countries that cannot protect their sovereignty become like our neighbors. Those who cannot make their own ‘path’, nor walk it, nor trade themselves, nor prevent anyone else from doing trade, ”he said.
China is implementing a $ 50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Pakistani-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in addition to developing the port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea. Several of the major Chinese companies have played a significant role in the Pakistani economy in recent years.
In his remarks, the defense minister also said that India’s “brave soldiers” were fearlessly committed to protecting the country’s borders when people were largely confined to their homes in the face of rising coronavirus cases.
Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in a tense border clash in eastern Ladakh for the past seven months. Indian troops had responded vigorously to multiple attempts by the Chinese army to intimidate them. Several rounds of talks between the two sides have not yielded any concrete results to resolve the border confrontation.
“When Covid-19 cases were on the rise, we sat helplessly in our homes, but our brave soldiers were fearless and courageously committed to protecting borders. Not only did they protect the border promptly, they also made a supreme sacrifice when necessary, “he said.
Singh further said: “Whether to win multi-dimensional wars to protect the integrity and sovereignty of India, or to counter terrorist activities from across the border, our armed forces have responded to the challenges with great vigor.”
The event was organized by the Kendriya Sainik Board (KSB) on the eve of the Armed Forces Flag Day. The KSB is the main government body that formulates policies for the rehabilitation and well-being of former military personnel and their dependents.
India has been observing December 7 as Armed Forces Flag Day since 1949 to honor the soldiers who fought bravely on the borders to safeguard the honor of the country.
The defense minister also called on people to make contributions to the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund, and even referred to donations made by citizens during the 1962 war with China.
“In the war of 1962, the people of this country had happily donated ‘warm wool to warm blood’ at the request of the nation. There was no count of money or jewelry. This is our sentiment towards the nation, ”he said.
He also mentioned how the people of Bardhana Khurd village in Rajasthan had decided that one child from each family would be sent to the border knowing full well what the outcome of going to the border might have been.
The government had set up the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund (AFFDF) for the welfare and rehabilitation of the ex-military community (ESM).
There are more than 32 lakh exservicemen and around 60,000 are added each year due to retirement. “We must present ourselves with a ‘big’ and ‘open’ mind in fulfilling our responsibility towards the security of our nation,” Singh said.
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