Overview
- Rajnath Singh, asked in poll-bound West Bengal on Tuesday, warned Pakistan over its defence minister’s Kolkata remark and recalled the 1971 war that split Pakistan.
- Pakistan’s Khawaja Asif made the threat in Sialkot on Saturday while alleging India might stage a false-flag attack, a claim reported without supporting evidence.
- Analysts note Pakistan would need long-range missiles to reach Kolkata and would then have to beat India’s S-400 batteries and two-tier ballistic missile defence, which makes success doubtful.
- The remarks have fed West Bengal’s election fight as Trinamool leaders pressed the prime minister for a response, while Singh said his statement as defence minister should settle the issue.
- The exchange comes after the April 2025 Pahalgam attack and India’s May 2025 Operation Sindoor, when most incoming Pakistani missiles and drones were intercepted, and there are no signs of current military moves beyond rhetoric.