New Delhi: India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has slammed the West for providing weapons to Pakistani military dictators for several years. He defended the use of Russian weapons by India and questioned the non-supply of weapons to the country for decades. He has clearly stated that India took decisions that were in its interest.
The Foreign Minister further said that 'Western countries have given arms to Pakistan for many years, but not to India. Now the same country is asking India to stop buying arms from Russia. Moscow has stood by New Delhi for many years.' Jaishankar said that we have had relations with Russia for a long time and this relationship has served our interests well. We have enough weapons of Soviet and Russian origin. In fact, the External Affairs Minister was answering questions from journalists after the 13th Foreign Ministers Framework Dialogue (FMFD) with Australian counterpart Penny Wong in Canberra.
In response to a question, Jaishankar said, "The West did not supply weapons to India for decades. The truth is that the military dictator next to us was their favourite partner. In international politics, we make decisions that are in accordance with our future interests and the current situation.'' On the Khalistani issue, Jaishankar said, "We have taken up the issue with the Canadian government from time to time. We have made the point that the freedom that has been achieved in democratic countries should not be misused by the forces that support violence and bigotry.''
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