India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said New Delhi has no plans to hold talks with Pakistan and that any future negotiations between the two countries would be limited to the issue of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.
Speaking during a ceremony marking the 27th anniversary of India’s victory in the 1999 Kargil War, Singh reiterated India’s position that the entire Kashmir region is an integral part of India and described the area under Pakistani administration as “occupied.”
He also characterized the Kargil conflict as not only a military victory but also a diplomatic success for India.
Singh sharply criticized Pakistan, accusing it of supporting terrorism while contrasting India’s focus on economic development, technological innovation, space exploration and semiconductor manufacturing with what he described as Pakistan’s reliance on terrorism and proxy warfare.
The Indian defence minister warned that any hostile action by Pakistan would receive what he called a response “beyond imagination” from India’s armed forces.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the remarks in a statement, describing them as “provocative” and “irresponsible.” Islamabad said the comments contradict United Nations Security Council resolutions on Kashmir and risk undermining regional peace and stability.
The Himalayan region of Kashmir has remained disputed since the partition of British India in 1947. India and Pakistan both claim the territory in full but administer separate portions of it. The dispute has triggered several wars—including the 1999 Kargil conflict—as well as decades of military tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
The latest exchange of statements underscores the continuing diplomatic divide between New Delhi and Islamabad, with the Kashmir dispute remaining one of South Asia’s most enduring and sensitive geopolitical flashpoints.
