Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited the Bhuj Air Force Station in Gujarat today, just a day after concluding his trip to the Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. During his visit to Srinagar, Singh interacted with Indian Army personnel and reviewed the overall security situation along the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border.
The Bhuj airbase, which was recently targeted by the Pakistan military, was a key focus of Singh’s visit, underscoring the heightened alertness across key military installations.
In a strongly worded statement, Singh urged the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to reconsider its proposed $2.1 billion bailout package to Pakistan, warning that the funds could be misused to support terrorist organisations operating from Pakistani soil.
“The IMF aid will be used to fund these terrorist organisations. Pakistan should not be given any financial aid, or it will fund terror. We want the IMF to think over again,” Singh said.
He pointed out that the Pakistan government has reportedly allocated financial assistance to rebuild terror infrastructure for groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), located in Muridke and Bahawalpur. Singh warned that a significant portion of the IMF bailout could directly contribute to the revival of these terror networks.
“Would this not be considered indirect funding by the IMF?” he asked, highlighting the serious implications of international financial aid being diverted to support cross-border terrorism.
Singh also reminded the international community of Pakistan’s long-standing history of harbouring terrorist groups, citing the 2011 discovery of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad as a glaring example.
