"Equipping Pakistan with arms undermines stability": Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tells Dutch counterpart
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made this statement during a meeting with his Dutch counterpart, Ruben Brekelmans, on Tuesday.
The two nations discussed various areas of bilateral cooperation, including defence, security, information sharing, maritime collaboration in the Indo-Pacific, and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and drones.
However, the focal point of the conversation was Singh's firm stance on the issue of arms sales to Pakistan.
India's message to its allies
«Equipping Pakistan with defence equipment and technologies undermines regional security and stability,» Singh told Brekelmans, according to sources familiar with the discussions. Singh emphasised that India has been combating terrorism sponsored by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the country for decades.
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«India tells all friendly countries that they should not arm Pakistan in any way due to its state policy of fueling terrorism in other countries,» he added.
The Netherlands has previously supplied two Alkmaar-class mine countermeasures vessels, also known as mine hunters, built at the Van der Giessen-de Noord shipyard in Alblasserdam.
Additionally, the Netherlands is providing Pakistan with 1,900-tonne multi-role offshore patrol vessels from Damen Shipyards. Several Dutch companies are also engaged in military collaborations with Pakistan, particularly in the naval sector, sources said.
In recent diplomatic discussions, India has taken a more assertive stance on combating terrorism, including raising concerns over Sikh separatism.
Modi govt's stance on extremism
On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed with New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon the need for continued
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