Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday mocked Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, a day after Khan raised the Kashmir dispute at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Singh was speaking in Mumbai after he commissioned India’s second Scorpene-class attack submarine at the Mazgaon Docks.

“The Pakistan prime minister is going from door-to-door around the world and creating content for cartoonists,” PTI quoted Singh as saying.

The defence minister claimed there are some powers who want to attempt a strike like the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks on India’s coastal region, but “their desires will not be allowed to be fulfilled”.

“Pakistan needs to understand that the Indian Navy has become much stronger with the commissioning of the Khanderi, and the government is committed to strengthen the armed forces,” Singh added. “Our Navy will not pose any threat to any peace loving nation,” he added in a tweet. “In fact the Indian Navy wants to build a sense of confidence and mutual trust with all big-small nations in the Indian Ocean Region.”

The defence minister said that the Indian Navy was capable of delivering a “much bigger blow” to the Pakistan Navy than it did in the 1971 war, The Hindu reported. Singh also inaugurated an aircraft carrier dry dock and launched the first of the seven Project 17A frigates, Nilgiri, into water.

On Wednesday, the defence minister had warned Pakistan that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir would go the way of East Pakistan if Islamabad did not mend its ways, and stop sponsoring terrorism into India. India had won the 1971 war, which led to the secession of East Pakistan from Pakistan and the formation of Bangladesh.

A cartoon in Pakistani newspaper The Nation on Wednesday mocked Khan’s desperate attempts to rake up the Kashmir dispute at the United Nations. It also featured US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, the newspaper had apologised for same a day later.

Pakistan has been outraged ever since India decided to scrap the special status of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5. The neighbouring country stopped trade with India, downgraded diplomatic relations and wrote several letters to the United Nations. It has also attempted to raise the spectre of war on international fora. India has refused dialogue until Pakistan stops supporting terrorists.

Khan had on Friday attacked India for its decision to revoke the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir and for imposing a lockdown in the region during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly. India responded on Saturday saying the people of our country do not need anyone else to speak on their behalf, and especially those who have built “an industry of terrorism from the ideology of hate”.


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