US supports India's right to defend itself: Defence Secretary Hegseth to Rajnath

The US on Thursday said it supports India's right to defend itself and its fight against terrorism as American Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth phoned Defence Minister Rajnath Singh amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan over the Pahalgam terror attack.

Singh told Hegseth that Pakistan has been "exposed" as a "rogue" state fuelling global terrorism, and "destabilising" the region.

The world can no longer turn a "blind eye" to terrorism, the defence minister said during the conversation, according to an official readout.

Hegseth said the US stands in solidarity with India and supports India's right to defend itself, Singh's office said in a social media post.

"He reiterated the strong support of the US government in India's fight against terrorism," it said.

"The defence minister told the US Secretary of Defence that Pakistan has a history of supporting, training and funding terrorist organisations," the readout issued by the defence ministry said.

"Pakistan has been exposed as a rogue state, fuelling global terrorism, and destabilising the region. The world can no longer turn a blind eye to terrorism," the ministry quoted Singh as saying.

It is important for the global community to "explicitly and unequivocally" condemn and "call out" such heinous acts of terrorism, he said.

The ministry said Hegseth called up Singh to express his sympathies and condolences for the tragic loss of innocent civilian lives in the dastardly Pahalgam attack. With PTI