New Delhi, Jul 29 (PTI) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said if Pakistan cannot take action against terrorism on its soil, India is ready to help it as Indian forces are capable of fighting terror on the other side of the border as well.

Initiating a special discussion on Operation Sindoor in Rajya Sabha, Singh said three terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack have been eliminated by Indian forces.

He further said that Operation Sindoor -“ India's response to the Pahalgam attack - has been halted, and can be resumed anytime if Pakistan indulges in terror activities in India again.

"India wants terrorism to end in the whole world, including Pakistan... I had advised Pakistan earlier as well, and today I want to say again, that if you are unable to take effective action against terrorism, take India's help. India's forces are capable of taking effective action against terrorism this side of the border, as well as on the other side. Pakistan has already witnessed this during Operation Sindoor," he said.

"If Pakistan commits any terror incidents in future, we will relaunch Operation Sindoor without hesitation," he said.

Singh stressed that our vision is that Operation Sindoor should carry on continuously. "There can be a comma but no full stop." While expressing surprise over questions raised by some opposition leaders over getting back Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, he said, "I am surprised at this demand, because when they were in power they did just the opposite." "It has always been the stand of the Bharatiya Janata Party that the day is not far when the people of Pak-occupied Kashmir will have the privilege of becoming a part of the Indian governance system," he said.

Targeting the opposition, Singh said, "Some people think that since Pakistan has nuclear weapons, we should only negotiate with them. Because of this nuclear bluff, we have lost countless civilians. Our vision is that we will give a befitting reply." The defence minister stressed that no religious, ideological, or political reason can justify terrorism.

He also congratulated the security forces for killing three terrorists involved in the April 22 Pahalgam attack in which 26 people were killed.

He said Home Minister Amit Shah has provided in Lok Sabha details of the joint operation by the forces.

Singh said post-Pahalgam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with the service chiefs, and gave them free hand to use their wisdom, strategic understanding and regional security situation to decide on the response.

He said the military leadership also showed maturity, and added that Operation Sindoor was aimed at giving a clear message that India will take strong action and go to any extent against terror.

"Our action was in self-defence, it was not expansionist...," Singh said.

He said Operation Sindoor displays India's new policy against terrorism, and ends the perception that India is a "soft state".

"Op Sindoor was not just a military operation, it was a display of our policy against terror. On April 22, the cowardly Pahalgam attack happened. They asked people their religion before killing them. This was an incident which showed that cross border terror was trying to disintegrate India," Singh said.

"The aim was to destroy terror infrastructure and the message of zero tolerance for terror. The politico-military objective was to punish Pakistan for the proxy war it is fighting in the form of terrorism," he said.

"We are redefining our identity, Operation Sindoor is an example. Terrorists had thought India was a soft state... Operation Sindoor is a game changer. We have ensured terrorism becomes a misadventure for Pakistan," he said.

Singh said for the future, the importance of the operation is that "the Indian citizen is no more a vulnerable citizen of a soft state, they are proud citizens of a strong India".

Slamming the opposition, he said if it felt the government did not take proper action, it should come up with an alternative policy.

"When the sindoor of our mothers and sisters was wiped away, should we engage in diplomatic talks with Pakistan? Should we hand over dossiers to Pakistan? Should we go to international organizations and just talk? When our opposition colleagues were in power, whenever there were terrorist attacks, they used to take such steps," he said.

Singh said Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) urged India to stop the hostilities, and India accepted it on the condition that the operation would be suspended, not terminated.

"If Pakistan commits any terror incidents in future, we will relaunch Operation Sindoor without hesitation," he asserted.

He said the forces achieved the goals set under the operation.

Singh appealed to the international community to stop fundings for Pakistan, stating that a major portion goes into funding terror activities.

"It is essential to expose countries that fund and provide shelter to terrorism in front of the world today. A large portion of the money or economic aid that Pakistan receives is spent on the factory of terrorism," he said.

He also slammed the United Nations over Pakistan's appointment to the key counter-terrorism committee.

"The United Nations Security Council has appointed Pakistan as the Vice-Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Panel. The surprising thing is that this Counter-Terrorism Panel was formed after the 9/11 attacks. It is also no secret that Pakistan gave shelter to the mastermind of that attack," he said.

"We have always observed that countries like Pakistan have consistently supported terrorism. What a contradiction it is that both India and Pakistan gained independence at the same time, but today, while India is recognised worldwide as the Mother of Democracy, Pakistan has emerged as the Father of Global Terrorism," he said.

Singh also India today is not only defending its borders but is also building a system that is making us stronger from strategic, economic, and technological perspectives.

"Earlier, we were entirely dependent on foreign countries for defense equipment, but today I can proudly say that India is rapidly becoming self-reliant in the field of defense," he said.

"You will be pleased to know that India's defense export has increased approximately 35 times compared to 2014. In the year 2013-14, defense exports from India were only 686 crore, which have now risen to 23,622 crore in 2024-25," he said. PTI AO MJH NKD SKC ZMN