Taking a sharp swipe at the United States, the Indian Army on Tuesday posted a newspaper clipping from August 5, 1971, spotlighting how America had supplied weapons to Pakistan ahead of the Indo-Pak war. The post, captioned “This day, that year’s buildup of war, August 5, 1971,” served as a reminder of the US’s historical tilt towards Islamabad during times of regional crisis.

The archived article quoted then Defence Production Minister V.C. Shukla in the Rajya Sabha, revealing how both NATO powers and the Soviet Union were consulted over Pakistan’s military buildup amid its aggression in East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. While France and the USSR declined arms support to Pakistan, the United States and China allegedly provided weapons at “throwaway prices.”

The Army’s post came just a day after US President Donald Trump threatened “substantially higher tariffs” on Indian exports over its continued purchase of discounted Russian oil. In a sweeping move on August 1, Trump signed an executive order raising tariffs on goods from several nations — hiking India’s rates to 25% while paradoxically lowering Pakistan’s from 29% to 19%.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a firm response late Monday night, calling Trump’s accusations “unjustified and unreasonable.” The ministry clarified that India resorted to Russian oil supplies only after traditional OPEC countries diverted their exports to Europe. “The US had, at that time, actively encouraged such imports to help stabilise global energy markets,” the MEA stated.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump intensified his criticism, calling India’s trade policy “the highest tariffs and most obnoxious non-monetary trade barriers.” He added that the US had “done relatively little business” with India and hinted at potential secondary sanctions over New Delhi’s energy ties with Moscow.