Rajnath: Armed Forces Had Full Freedom During Operation Sindoor

 New Delhi: Defence minister Rajnath Singh said that during Operation Sindoor the Indian armed forces were given complete freedom to respond appropriately to the cowardly terror attack on innocent civilians in Pahalgam.

He stressed that India’s response was “measured and non-escalatory.” Addressing the Indian community in Rabat on Sunday during his two-day visit to Morocco, Singh reaffirmed that the armed forces were fully prepared and had acted with restraint. Quoting the Ramcharitmanas, he said, “We took action not based on religion but on deeds (Humne dharm dekh kar nahi, karm dekh kar maara hai),” underscoring India’s firm yet balanced approach.

On Monday, Singh held a bilateral meeting with Morocco’s defence minister Abdeltif Loudiyi in Rabat. Both leaders signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on defence cooperation, establishing an institutional framework for the growing partnership and paving the way for collaboration in the defence industry, joint exercises, training, and capacity building.

They agreed to intensify cooperation in counter-terrorism, maritime security, cyber defence, peacekeeping operations, military medicine, and expert exchanges. To support these initiatives, Singh announced the opening of a new defence wing at the embassy of India in Rabat. He highlighted the maturity of India’s defence industry, including its cutting-edge drone and counter-drone technologies, and assured Morocco that Indian companies were well-positioned to meet its defence requirements.

Both ministers also emphasised enhancing exchanges between armed forces, facilitating training programmes, and exploring opportunities for co-development and co-production in defence manufacturing. They stressed the importance of multilateral cooperation to address global and regional security challenges and agreed on closer coordination in maritime security, given the strategic significance of the Indian Ocean and Atlantic corridors.

Singh extended a formal invitation to minister Loudiyi to visit India for further discussions on expanding defence cooperation.