In what comes across as a shift in stance, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday, 16 August, said that while India’s nuclear policy has been ‘no first use,’ the future will depend on circumstances.
“Till today, our nuclear policy is ‘No First Use’. What happens in future depends on the circumstances,” Singh said, speaking to the media in Pokhran.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi criticised the Defence Minister’s remarks as "irresponsible" and "unfortunate".
"The substance and timing of Indian defence minister is highly unfortunate and shows India irresponsible and belligerent behaviour," Qureshi said, according to PTI.
"Pakistan will continue to maintain minimum credible deterrence," he said.
The statement of Indian defence ministers showed his "folly", he said.
Singh, who went to Jaisalmer to address the concluding ceremony of the fifth International Army Scout Masters Competition in Jaisalmer, paid a visit to Pokhran, which is nearby as a ‘tribute’ to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
“It is a coincidence that today I came for International Army Scout Masters Competition in Jaisalmer and today it is the first death anniversary of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. So, I felt I should pay tribute to him on the land of Pokhran only,” he said.
Teams from Russia, China, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Sudan and Uzbekistan and India participated in the army scout competition in Jaisalmer.
Twitter Divided Over Possible Policy Change
While some Twitter users lauded Singh’s ‘daring’ stance and called it a ‘measured’ reaction, others tweeted about the dangers of war mongering and called the defence minister’s statement a ‘risky gamble’.
(With inputs from PTI.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)