'For years, west providing weapons to Pakistan': EAM S Jaishankar defends Russian arms used by Indian forces

Reacting to a question about the 'Khalistani' issues in Canada, Jaishankar said, "From time to time we have engaged the Canadian government on this issue and we have flagged the need to ensure that freedoms in a democratic society aren't misused by forces which actually advocate violence and bigotry."

Team Newsable

First Published Oct 10, 2022, 1:37 PM IST | Last Updated Oct 10, 2022, 1:37 PM IST

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday slammed the Western countries for providing weapons to the Pakistani military for years and not to India. According to reports, the EAM defended the use of Russian arms and slammed the Western nations for choosing dictatorships as preferred partners and not supplying India with weapons for decades.

Addressing the gathering, the EAM said, "The West supplied weapons to Pakistan for years and not to India for years. And now they are asking India to stop buying Russian weapons when Moscow stood by New Delhi all those years in the past."

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Jaishankar also reminded them of the pro-Pakistan policies that most had adopted for decades, leaving India with very little choice but to build her own strategic clout.

"We have a long-standing relationship with Russia, and this relationship has served our interests well. We have a substantial inventory of Soviet and Russian-origin weapons," Jaishankar said.

The EAM was responding to local media after holding the 13th Foreign Ministers Framework Dialogue (FMFD) with his Australian counterpart Penny Wong in Canberra.

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"This inventory grew for various reasons including the West not supplying weapons to India for decades and in fact seeing the military dictatorship next to us as a preferred partner. In international politics, we make judgments which are reflective of our future interests and current situation," he said.

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"As to the Khalistani issue that you have raised, you know that from time to time we have engaged the Canadian government on this issue, and we have flagged the need to ensure that freedoms in a democratic society are not misused by forces which actually advocate violence and bigotry. It is important for countries to understand today how democracies should not only function at home, but also the responsibility democracies have to other democracies," he added.

Presently, the EAM is in Australia for the annual Foreign Ministers' Framework Dialogue. This is Minister Jaishankar's second visit to Australia this year.

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