New Delhi: India could have inflicted more damage to the Pakistani establishment under the scope of Operation Sindoor, but chose to exercise restraint, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said Wednesday.
Speaking at the inaugural plenary of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Annual Business Summit in the capital, Singh said, “We could have done much more but chose restraint. The operation showcased not only India’s military capability but also its maturity, ‘Shakti aur Sayyam’ (power with restraint).”
He said the residents of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) are “our own” and expressed confidence that they would one day return to the Indian mainstream. “There is a growing desire among people in PoK to return to India. Some have been misled, but many are seeking reunification. I have faith that the day will come soon when PoK returns to India,” he said.
The Defence Minister also pointed to India’s sharpened diplomatic posture in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor. “Pakistan has realised the costly consequences of nurturing terrorism and we have redefined the rules of engagement. There will be no dialogue except on terrorism and PoK.”
Singh went on to underline the central role of homegrown defence systems during the operation, crediting the success to years of investment in domestic capability. “Make in India is an essential component of India’s national security. If we did not have this capability, our forces would not have been able to take such effective action against terrorism from lower Pakistan to PoK,” Singh said.
He emphasised that the performance of Indian-built platforms had proven the strategic value of indigenisation, beyond its economic benefits. “We’ve established that Make in India is not just an economic campaign but a national security imperative.”
Referring to the approval for private participation in the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme announced Monday, Singh called it a “bold and decisive decision”. The project will involve the development of five prototypes followed by full-scale production.
Rajnath Singh also detailed India’s defence manufacturing trajectory, citing a rise in production from Rs 43,746 crore to Rs 1.46 lakh crore over the last decade, with over Rs 32,000 crore coming from the private sector. Defence exports, he said, have grown more than six-fold to over Rs 4,000 crore, up from just Rs 600–700 crore ten years ago.
“We are no longer just buyers; we are now global suppliers of systems, sub-systems, components, and services,” Singh said, crediting over 16,000 MSMEs as the backbone of India’s defence supply chain.
In his closing remarks, the minister called on Indian industry to treat defence production as a core national responsibility. He asked the audience to consider personal interest as their karma and national interest as their dharma.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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