Kolkata, 5 Aug (H.S.) — Amid recent remarks by former US President Donald Trump over tariffs, the Indian Army has hit back at what it called America’s “double standards” by sharing historical evidence of its pro-Pakistan stance. On Tuesday, the Army’s Eastern Command posted a 54-year-old newspaper clipping on social media, highlighting how the US had been arming Pakistan for decades to further anti-India designs.

The clipping, dated August 5, 1971, reveals that between 1954 and 1971, the US supplied Pakistan with arms worth over $2 billion. These weapons were used by Pakistan to wage wars against India in 1965 and 1971. The report also cites a statement by then Minister of State for Defence V.C. Shukla in the Rajya Sabha, noting that NATO countries and the Soviet Union were approached to stop the supply of arms to Pakistan in view of the uprising in Bangladesh.

The archival report further records that both the US and China supplied Pakistan with weapons that enabled it to fight the 1971 war. Despite this, the US refrained from imposing tough tariffs on Pakistan, and under the Trump administration, its tariffs were even reduced from 29 percent to 19 percent.

The Army’s post comes against the backdrop of Trump’s recent warning to India that a tariff of over 25 percent could be imposed if it continues to purchase oil from Russia. India has responded by pointing out that the US itself had earlier deemed these oil purchases justifiable. The Ministry of External Affairs has also noted that many Western countries advising India to halt oil imports from Russia are themselves engaged in large-scale trade with Moscow.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh