Such statements reveal an expansionist Hindutva mindset that challenges realities and violates international law, says FO
The State Department on Sunday strongly condemned the latest remarks by Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Sindh, condemning his comments as “delusional” and “dangerously revisionist” and reflecting an “expansionist Hindutva mindset.”
In a sharply worded statement, the FO said the remarks sought to challenge “established realities” and violated “the inviolability of recognized borders and the sovereignty of states.” It added that “such statements reveal an expansionist Hindutva mindset that seeks to challenge established realities and stands in clear violation of international law.”
The FO urged Rajnath Singh and other Indian leaders to refrain from provocative rhetoric, stressing that such remarks threaten regional stability. “Indian leaders should refrain from provocative rhetoric that threatens regional peace and stability. It would be far more constructive for the Government of India to focus on ensuring the security of its own citizens, especially vulnerable minority communities,” the statement said.
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It added that New Delhi should hold accountable those who incite or commit violence and address discrimination rooted in “religious prejudice and historical distortions.”
Addressing an event organized by the Sindhi community, Rajnath Singh said on Sunday that “borders may change” and further said that “one day Sindh may rejoin India.”
He also said, “Advani ji wrote in one of his books that the Sindhi Hindus, especially those of his generation, still have not accepted the issue of separation of Sindh from India.”
Without naming the book, Singh added: “Not only in Sindh, but all over India, Hindus considered the Indus River (Sindhu in Hindi) sacred. Many Muslims in Sindh also believed that the Indus water was no less sacred than the Aab-e-Zamzam (holiest of waters) in Mecca.”
The FO responded by highlighting that India must also confront long-standing grievances in its northeast, where communities “continue to face marginalization, identity-based persecution and cycles of state-enabled violence.”
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Reiterating its stance on Kashmir, the Secretary-General urged India to take credible steps to resolve the Jammu and Kashmir dispute “in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.”
Pakistan, it said, remains committed to peaceful dispute resolution based on “justice, equity and established international legal norms”, while affirming that the country is fully determined to protect its national security, independence and sovereignty.
