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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke with his US counterpart Pete Hegseth regarding the Pahalgam terror attack and highlighted Pakistan’s role in funding terrorist organisations.
Rajnath Singh Speaks With US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth (Reuters/ PTI Images)
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had a telephonic conversation with his US counterpart Pete Hegseth on Thursday, during which the latter reiterated the “strong support of the United States” in India’s right to defend itself and in its fight against terrorism.
Rajnath also slammed Pakistan on the call and said that the country has a “history of training terrorist organisations”, the Defence Ministry said in a post on X.
Expressing his sympathies for the loss of lives in the Pahalgam terror attack, Hegseth affirmed that the US stands in solidarity with India.
The U.S. Secretary of Defence @PeteHegseth spoke to Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh earlier today and expressed his deepest sympathies for the tragic loss of innocent civilians in the dastardly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir.Secretary Hegseth said that the U.S.…
— रक्षा मंत्री कार्यालय/ RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) May 1, 2025
“Secretary Hegseth said that the U.S. stands in solidarity with India and supports India’s right to defend itself. He reiterated the strong support of the U.S. government in India’s fight against terrorism. During the conversation, RM told the @SecDef that Pakistan has a history of supporting, training and funding terrorist organisations,” the Defence Ministry said.
Rajnath further noted that it was important for the world to condemn such acts of terrorism.
The call with Hegseth comes in a series of efforts by the government to seek global support and expose Pakistan on the world stage on the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives.
Just hours before this call, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had dialled both External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif separately and discussed the situation in the region.
Rubio “encouraged India to work with Pakistan to de-escalate tensions” in a call with Jaishankar, and “encouraged Pakistan to work with India to de-escalate tensions and re-establish direct communications” in a conversation with Shahbaz Sharif.
However, a statement from Jaishankar on his talks with Rubio skipped this part of the US Secretary of State’s message, and said on X, “the perpetrators, backers and planners (of the Pahalgam terrorist attack) must be brought to justice”.
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