Paying homage to the soldiers who laid down their lives during the 1999 Kargil War, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said that India is a peace-loving nation “but is ready to take any measures to defend its unity and sovereignty during a crisis”.
Releasing a video message on Twitter on Kargil Vijay Diwas, the anniversary of India's victory over Pakistan in the Kargil War, Singh said, “Whatever we do for national security, we do it in self-defence, and not to attack… (However) if any enemy state has attacked us, then we have proven that like Kargil, we will give a befitting reply.”
Singh's statement comes even as India is involved in a major military standoff with China in eastern Ladakh.
The Defence Minister said, “Kargil was not just a symbol of the nation's self-respect, but it was and will remain a symbol of a big step towards the injustice.” Quoting then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Singh said that the action of the armed forces “proved that India will not bend in front…