NEW DELHI: Marking one year since the Pahalgam terror attack, defense minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday delivered a pointed message to Pakistan, without naming it, warning that if it “tries to create trouble” again, then “dot, dot, dot,” a remark that said little explicitly but highlighted the Modi government’s hardened “new normal” stance on terrorism.Reiterating India’s long-standing charge from Germany, Singh added that apart from one, “all neighbors are fine.”His comments come weeks after provocative remarks by Pakistani counterpart Khawaja Asif, who had said, “If India attempts another false-flag operation, then, God willing, we will take it to Kolkata,” while addressing reporters in Sialkot.At an event with the Indian community, Rajnath Singh was quoted by news agency ANI as issuing a direct warning to Islamabad against any repeat of incidents like Pahalgam. He said, “There is no need to tell you what our army has done in Operation Sindoor. Our military power has also become stronger than before. India has never attacked any country in the world from its own side. But if a neighbor tries to create trouble, then ‘dot, dot, dot’. All neighbors are fine, only one is troublesome.”Highlighting India’s growing military capability, Singh added, “Earlier, when it came to defence, to meet our defense requirements, we used to rely on imports, and our dependence was on imports. But there has been a huge change in this. Now, instead of being importers, we have become exporters. You will be happy to know that this time we have exported approximately Rs 39,000 crores of defense items…”On April 22 last year, Pakistan-backed terrorists opened point-blank fire on civilians in Pahalgam, a scenic meadow town in Kashmir’s Anantnag district, killing 26 people.
