Image Source: Agencies

Aug 5, 2025: On Tuesday, the Indian Army shared a newspaper clipping from 1971 that was decades old and highlighted America's previous military support for Pakistan. This was an indirect criticism of the United States. The move was made just one day after US President Donald Trump threatened to slap significant tariffs on Indian goods for continuing to import oil from Russia. The clipping, posted by the Indian Army’s Eastern Command, was dated August 5, 1971, and featured a report from the Rajya Sabha.
The Soviet Union and France had denied providing Pakistan with weapons, but the United States and China had been providing them, VC Shukla, the then-Defense Minister, allegedly at "throwaway prices." "This day, that year – build-up of war, August 5, 1971" was the caption for the post. Trump signed an executive order this week that increased tariffs on several countries while surprisingly lowering tariffs on Pakistan by 10%—from 29% to 19%. In contrast, he cited Delhi's trade with Russia to warn India of a significant increase in tariffs. “India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian oil, they are selling it on the open market for big profits,” Trump wrote on his platform Truth Social.
They have no regard for the number of deaths in Ukraine. I will therefore substantially increase tariffs on Indian goods. India swiftly responded, criticizing what it called an "inconsistent and selective approach" by Western countries, including the US and the EU.
It stated that India's oil imports from Russia were a "market necessity," which the West even initially encouraged following the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine.