ISLAMABAD: Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, in a post on social media, has wrongly attributed specific language and positions to United States Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth vis-à-vis his conversation with him.
The US Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, in a post on X regarding his conversation with the Indian defence minister, stated: “Today, I spoke with Indian Defense Minister Singh @rajnathsingh to personally extend my deepest condolences for the loss of life in the heinous terrorist attack last week. I offered my strong support. We stand with India and its great people.”
Today, I spoke with Indian Defense Minister Singh @rajnathsingh to personally extend my deepest condolences for the loss of life in the heinous terrorist attack last week.
I offered my strong support. We stand with India and its great people
— Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) May 1, 2025
Meanwhile, the Indian defence minister posted on X: “The U.S. Secretary of Defence @PeteHegseth spoke to Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh earlier today and expressed his deepest sympathies for the tragic loss of innocent civilians in the dastardly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir. Secretary Hegseth said that the U.S. stands in solidarity with India and supports India’s right to defend itself. He reiterated the strong support of the U.S. government in India’s fight against terrorism. During the conversation, RM told the @SecDef that Pakistan has a history of supporting, training and funding terrorist organisations. He further said that it is important for the global community to explicitly and unequivocally condemn and call out such heinous acts of terrorism.”
The U.S. Secretary of Defence @PeteHegseth spoke to Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh earlier today and expressed his deepest sympathies for the tragic loss of innocent civilians in the dastardly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir.
Secretary Hegseth said that the U.S.…
— रक्षा मंत्री कार्यालय/ RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) May 1, 2025
Fact check
The post from the US defence secretary makes no mention of India’s right to defend itself, has no direct reference to terrorism or Pakistan, and there is no policy-level affirmation of military action or escalation. The phrase, “the strong support of the U.S. government in India’s fight against terrorism”, is not stated in the official post. The US defence secretary’s post does not mention accusations towards Pakistan. There is exaggeration in the tone and scope of the Indian defence minister’s post.
