HYDERABAD: Telangana minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, a former Indian Air Force pilot, has expressed his readiness to return to combat duty if the nation ever calls upon him again. In an informal interaction with reporters at Gandhi Bhavan here, the irrigation and civil supplies minister reflected on his military background and commented on the ongoing conflict between India and Pakistan.Reddy shared that he joined the armed forces at the age of 16 and was flying MiG-21s by 1982. He later piloted the MiG-23. “I was just 20 and already a fighter pilot,” he said, as quoted in a release.Addressing the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Reddy said it was backed by Pakistan and strongly condemned the violence, particularly killings carried out in the name of religion.“India had every reason to hit back,” he said, backing the country’s military response. Speaking about ‘Operation Sindoor’, Uttam Kumar Reddy stated that Rafale jets and Kamikaze drones were deployed from within Indian territory as part of the mission.Such strong responses are crucial if India ever hopes to achieve a lasting solution to the Kashmir issue. “Personally, I believe the Kashmir conflict won’t truly end until India takes back Pakistan-occupied Kashmir,” he opined. Asked if it comes down to war, Uttam Kumar Reddy said: “If there’s a full-scale conflict and I’m needed – I’ll fight again.”