Overview
- Speaking at IIT Madras on January 2, the External Affairs Minister said India will decide on its own how to defend its people and will not accept outside prescriptions.
- Linking terrorism to cooperation, he said a country cannot seek water sharing while enabling attacks, referencing India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty after the April 2025 Pahalgam massacre.
- He alluded to retaliatory action under Operation Sindoor against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan‑occupied Kashmir following the Pahalgam attack.
- Contrasting policies toward neighbours, he highlighted India’s investments and aid for cooperative partners, including vaccine supplies, fuel and food support during the Ukraine crisis, and about $4 billion for Sri Lanka.
- He noted recent diplomacy and regional friction, citing his visit to Dhaka for Khaleda Zia’s funeral and India’s protest over a November detention of an Arunachal Pradesh resident in Shanghai.