Indian Army Digs At US With 1971 Newspaper: US Arms Worth $2 Billion Shipped to Pakistan

The Indian Army shared on social media a newspaper clipping from 1971 of an article stating that the US has supported Pakistan for decades. This post comes a day after US President Donald Trump threatened India over its purchase of Russian oil, saying he will substantially raise tariffs on goods from India.

Posted on Tuesday by the Eastern Command of the Indian Army, the throwback tweet was captioned “ This Day That Year- Build Up of War - 05 Aug 1971 #KnowFacts”. The article shared was titled US Arms Worth $2 Billion Shipped to Pakistan Since ‘54. 

According to the newspaper clip, VC Shukla, the then-defence production minister, told the Rajya Sabha that, in the wake of Islamabad's armed action in Bangladesh, the Soviet Union and NATO nations had been contacted regarding the delivery of weapons to Pakistan.  According to the study, the US continued to help Pakistan even after the Soviet Union and the French government had refused to provide armaments.

Additionally, it claimed that China and the US also offered Pakistan weaponry at "throwaway prices," suggesting that Pakistan might have used the weapons supplied by the two nations to fight India in the 1971 war.

Trump’s Tariff Threat

Even though the US is still trading with Russia, Trump has been threatening to impose reciprocal duties on India for buying Russian oil.  The Republican leader threatened India once more on Monday, stating that he would significantly increase taxes on Indian imports, going beyond the 25% duties that have already been raised.

Trump said in a post on Truth Social, “ India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits. They don't care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine. Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA.”

The Ministry of External Affairs responded to Trump’s threats,  Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “India’s imports are meant to ensure predictable and affordable energy costs to the Indian consumer. They are a necessity compelled by (the) global market situation."

The statement posted on X added, “In this background, the targeting of India is unjustified and unreasonable. Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security."

NDTV reported that the throwback post by the Indian army is a “dig” at the US President.