New Delhi | In the backdrop of mounting US criticism of India's purchase of crude oil from Russia, the Indian Army on Tuesday posted a news clip of August 1971 which highlighted the role played by the US in arming Pakistan "since 1954".
The news clip was shared in a post by the Eastern Command on X.
"#IndianArmy #EasternCommand #VijayVarsh #LiberationOfBangladesh #MediaHighlights 'This Day That Year" Build Up of War - 05 Aug 1971 #KnowFacts.
US Arms Worth $2 Billion Shipped to Pakistan Since '54," it said.
The news, published few months before the Indo-Pak War of 1971 that led to creation of Bangladesh, talks about the role US had played in arming Pakistan the preceding nearly two decades.
"US Arms Worth $2 Billion Shipped to Pakistan Since '54," the headline says.
The report quotes V C Shukla, then minister for defence production, who had told the Rajya Sabha about the estimated valuation of the arms supplied for that period.
The social media post comes amid mounting criticism by Washington on New Delhi's purchase of crude oil from Russia.
India on Monday mounted an unusually sharp counterattack on the US and the European Union for their "unjustified and unreasonable" targeting of New Delhi for its procurement of Russian crude oil.
New Delhi's response came hours after US President Donald Trump asserted that Washington will substantially raise tariffs on goods from India over its energy ties with Russia.
Firmly rejecting the criticism, India pointed out the double standards in targeting it on the issue and said both the US and the EU are continuing their trade relations with Russia.
"Unlike our case, such trade is not even a vital national compulsion," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
The Europe-Russia trade includes not just energy, but also fertilisers, mining products, chemicals, iron and steel, and machinery and transport equipment, the MEA said in a late-evening statement.
"Where the US is concerned, it continues to import from Russia uranium hexafluoride for its nuclear industry, palladium for its EV industry, fertilizers as well as chemicals," it 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," the MEA said.
It said India has been "targeted" by the US and the EU for importing oil from Russia after the commencement of the Ukraine conflict.
