Pakistan's nuclear weapons should be placed under IAEA supervision: Rajnath

EAM Jaishankar says ties with Pakistan will remain 'strictly bilateral'; reiterates Indus Waters Treaty will stay in abeyance until cross-border terrorism ends

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said Pakistan’s nuclear weapons should be placed under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a Vienna-based watchdog that monitors civilian nuclear programmes to ensure their peaceful use, while questioning whether such weapons were safe in the hands of what he called an “irresponsible and rogue” nation.

 

Addressing Indian Army soldiers at Badami Bagh Cantt in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, the minister emphasised that Operation Sindoor had demonstrated India’s resolve to combat Pakistan-backed terrorism, undeterred by what he described as Pakistan’s “nuclear blackmail”.

 

The world has seen how irresponsibly Islamabad has issued nuclear threats to New Delhi on multiple occasions, the defence minister said. “I raise this question before the world: Are nuclear weapons safe in the hands of such an irresponsible and rogue nation? Pakistan’s nuclear weapons should be taken under the supervision of the IAEA,” Singh added.

 

In response to the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack, which killed 26 people and had cross-border linkages, India carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure inside Pakistan early on May 7. Pakistan then attempted to target both civilian and military infrastructure in India over a period of more than three days, lasting till May 10 (Saturday) —  actions that drew a strong response from the Indian side that launched precision attacks on 13 Pakistani military installations during that period.

 

Hours before the militaries of the two countries arrived at an understanding to “stop all firing and military action on land, in the air and sea” from 5 pm on Saturday, Pakistan’s military reportedly said the country’s National Command Authority — the top body overseeing its nuclear weapons — would meet that day. However, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif later said no such meeting was scheduled. Foreign analysts nonetheless saw this as a signal that Pakistan was considering involving its nuclear weapons, and as a call for intervention from foreign capitals.

 

Highlighting that Operation Sindoor has redefined India’s counter-terrorism policy — now declaring that any attack on Indian soil will be treated as an act of war — the defence minister warned Pakistan that continued support for terrorism would invite an even heavier price.

 

Singh described Operation Sindoor as India’s biggest action against terrorism to date and said: “Terrorists killed Indians based on their religion, we killed them for their deeds. It was our dharma to eliminate them. Our forces gave the right direction to their anger and took revenge for Pahalgam with great courage and discretion.”

 

The defence minister reiterated that no unwarranted action should come from across the border — a principle he noted formed the basis of the understanding reached between the two countries. He paid homage to the innocent civilians killed in the Pahalgam attack and to the soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice during Operation Sindoor. He also commended the courage of the injured soldiers and wished them a speedy recovery.

 

Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India’s relations and dealings with Pakistan would be “strictly bilateral”, describing this as a national consensus that has existed for many years, with “absolutely no change” in that position.

 

Noting that Pakistan has a list of terrorists who need to be handed over, Jaishankar said: “They have to shut down terrorist infrastructure, they know what to do.” He said New Delhi was “prepared to discuss” with Islamabad what is to be done on terrorism.

 

Jaishankar emphasised that the government’s stance on water issues is clear: The Indus Waters Treaty is held in abeyance and will remain so until cross-border terrorism by Pakistan is “credibly and irrevocably” stopped. “… The only thing which remains to be discussed on Kashmir is the vacating of illegally occupied Indian territory in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. We are open to discussing that with Pakistan,” he added.

 

Amid claims circulating on social media that Pakistan’s nuclear facilities were targeted by Indian armed forces during Operation Sindoor, the IAEA has said there was no radiation leak or release from any nuclear facility in Pakistan during the recent military conflict, according to agency reports on Thursday. At a media briefing on Monday, Air Marshal A K Bharti, Director General of Air Operations, rejected suggestions that India had hit Kirana Hills, said to house a Pakistani nuclear installation.

 

Hours after the Defence Minister’s remarks, the Indian Army issued a statement that, in accordance with the understanding arrived at between the Director Generals of Military Operations of India and Pakistan on Saturday, it had been decided to “continue the confidence-building measures so as to reduce the alertness level”. In his address to the nation on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised that India had only suspended its retaliatory action against Pakistan’s terror and military camps.  (With inputs from PTI)