Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addresses the soldiers at Badami Bagh Cantt, in Srinagar
| Photo Credit:
@rajnathsingh via PTI
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) should take charge of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday, days after the nuclear-armed neighbours ended their worst military conflict in nearly three decades.
Deadly fighting broke out between the old enemies last week after India struck “terrorist camps” in Pakistan in retaliation for an attack in Kashmir last month that killed 26 men.
Islamabad had denied the allegations and both countries sent missiles and drones into each other’s airspace in the days that followed, before they reached a truce on Saturday.
“Are nuclear weapons safe in the hands of such an irresponsible and rogue nation?” Singh said while addressing soldiers in Srinagar. “I believe that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons should be taken under the supervision of IAEA.”
There was no immediate response from Pakistan to Singh’s comment.
The IAEA is a Vienna-based UN watchdog which monitors nuclear programmes to ensure they are peaceful.
The latest military conflict between the neighbours spiralled alarmingly on Saturday and there were briefly fears that nuclear arsenals might come into play as Pakistan’s military said a top body overseeing its nuclear weapons would meet. But the Pakistani defence minister said no such meeting was scheduled.
Military analysts said this may have been Pakistan’s way of hinting at its nuclear option as Islamabad has a ‘first-use” policy if its existence is under threat in a conflict.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that India would strike at terrorist hideouts across the border again if there were new attacks on India and would not be deterred by what he called Islamabad’s “nuclear blackmail”.
Pakistan rejected Modi’s statements as being “provocative and inflammatory assertions”, saying it represents a dangerous escalation.
India also blames Pakistan for supporting Islamist militants battling security forces in its part of Kashmir, but Islamabad denies the accusation.
Published on May 15, 2025