Citing “new military infrastructure” set up by Pakistan along the Sir Creek stretch, which has remained disputed since Independence, Singh said, “Even after so many years of independence, a border issue is brought up on Sir Creek. India has tried diplomacy several times to solve the issue but Pakistan has niyat mein khot (malafide intentions). The way Pakistan has made military infrastructure in the Sir Creek area, that shows its intention.”

He warned that if Pakistan attempted “misadventure” in Sir Creek, it would face a “strong response to the extent that both history and geography will be changed.”

On the joint operations of the armed forces, Singh said: “Our land, air, naval forces and the BSF are the pillars of our strength. It is only when they work together that we can rise to all challenges. Our government is constantly emphasising the ‘jointness’ of our forces. We saw an example of this during the ‘Varunastra’ exercise here today. It was also this very jointness that gave success to Operation Sindoor in record time.”

Speaking about Operation Sindoor, he said, “Pakistan made a failed attempt to thwart India’s defence system from Leh to Sir Creek. The Indian armed forces completely exposed Pakistan’s air defence system and gave a message to the world that India can inflict heavy damage whenever and wherever it wants. In spite of this, we held back because our fight was against terrorists. The aim of Operation Sindoor was never to wage war. I’m happy that the Indian armed forces met all the military objectives successfully. But our fight against terrorism remains constant.”

The minister, along with generals, performed Shashtra Puja and prayed over a range of weapons. He said, “We have never considered weapons as a means of violence, never as just tools or a show of force. We believe it is a means to establish dharma. Lord Ram killed Ravana with his bow, Goddess Durga killed demons with her shashtra, Lord Krishna killed adharmis with his Sudarshan Chakra. When we pray over shashtras, we pledge that they will be used only to establish dharma and nyaya (justice).”

He added: “If you see our deities, they all have shaastra in one hand and shashtra in the other. The former can only be defended by the latter, and knowledge will be lost if not protected. Similarly, if we only have the latter without guiding knowledge, strength will turn to anarchy. The balance of both makes our civilization timeless.”

Linking the ritual to Atmanirbhar Bharat, Singh said India was no longer just a consumer but also a manufacturer and exporter of weapons. He stressed: “The role of shashtra is very important for a large and diverse country like ours. The challenges on our borders have never been easy. There are threats on the northern border, terrorism on the western border, and strategic concerns in the Indian Ocean. Sometimes these come as external attacks, sometimes as terrorism, and nowadays as cyberwar and information war.”

Since the day also marked Gandhi Jayanti, Singh noted: “Mahatma Gandhi didn’t have any other weapons except willpower, and yet he defeated the most powerful empire of that day.”-Agencies