Rajnath Singh on Balakot: Our security forces are fully prepared

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said that the Indian security forces are fully prepared to meet any situation put up by Pakistan. This statement comes two days after the Army Chief said that terror camps in Balakot were being reactivated by Pakistan and about 500 infiltrators were waiting to sneak into India. Rajnath Singh was addressing the Indian Coastal Guards in Chennai. He also formally commissioned the Coast Guard offshore patrol vessel 'Varaha' at the Chennai Port Trust.

'Forces fully prepared'

Rajnath Singh responding to a query on Army Chief General Bipin Rawat's statement on the reactivation of terror camps in Balakot said,  "Don't worry our security forces are fully prepared." Earlier on Sunday, he had also warned Pakistan against 'repeating mistakes of 1965 and 1971' even as he asserted that the neighboring country ran the risk of getting 'dismantled' on account of flagrant violation of human rights on its soil. 

ICGS Varaha

Singh, who arrived in Chennai on Tuesday on a two-day visit, participated in the Investiture Ceremony of Coast Guard. "It is indeed reassuring to witness the growing strength of Indian Coast Guard, the 'Sentinals of our seas' and capabilities of Larsen and Toubro Shipbuilding Ltd one of the strong supporting pillars for production and maintenance of surface assets of our maritime forces," Rajnath Singh said.

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'Balakot reactivated very recently'

Almost seven months after India struck the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) training camp in Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat on Monday said that the Balakot has been reactivated. Addressing the media from officers training academy in Chennai after the inauguration of a new leadership wing for the cadets at the academy, General Rawat said that the terror camp of Balakot was destroyed after the Indian Air Force struck it in February. 

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However, he said that Balakot has been functional again, exposing Pakistan's inability to take action against the terror groups and proving the Indian army's action in the area. Moreover, the chief of army staff also said that Pakistan must be left guessing about India's next action against terror groups operating on its soil. "Why should we repeat Balakot Air Strike? Why not beyond that? Let them keep guessing," he said.

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(with PTI inputs)