Rajnath Singh warns Pakistan over disturbance in peace
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday warned Pakistan over its “repeated attempts to disturb peace” in Kashmir, saying the Indian forces won’t count bullets if Pakistan fires even once.
“Pakistan is trying to disturb peace and tranquility in Jammu and Kashmir time and again, but this practice will not continue for long,” Singh said a public meeting in this Himachal Pradesh town.
The Indian Army has been given permission not to keep an account of bullets “if Pakistan fires one bullet”, he added.
The Minister’s statement comes a day after two Indian Army soldiers were killed in a militant ambush of an Army convoy on the Jammu-Srinagar Highway.
He said India cannot forget the supreme sacrifice made by its security men.
Rajnath Singh was on a day-long visit here to attend Bharatiya Janata Party’s Tridev Sammelan aimed at strengthening and mobilising party cadres.
Besides Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda, Rajnath Singh was accompanied by two-time former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and his son Anurag Thakur, who is member of Parliament from Hamirpur.
This Congress-ruled state is slated to go to the polls in November.
Taking a jibe at the Virbhadra Singh-led state government, Rajnath Singh accused it of not utilising adequately the central funds for development.
He claimed the National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre had been liberal in sanctioning projects and funds but corruption was too rampant in the state.
Last month, BJP President Amit Shah was in Kangra district to mobilise party workers.
Meanwhile while downplaying Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s ‘permanent solution to Kashmir’ remark, Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on Sunday said there is little hope in this regard seeing the Government’s inaction in the past three years.
Aiyar said he would like to ask a question to the nation which was posed to him by a Kashmiri.
“When I was in Kashmir a week back, a similar statement was made by Rajnath Singh. A Kashmiri asked me, what they (BJP) could not do in three years, how will Cey able to do it in a year? I don’t know how are they going to do that but I am only asking the nation what that Kashmiri asked me,” Aiyar said.
Expressing strong skepticism to the current situation in the Valley and what the BJP has been doing since last three years, the Congress leader added that there seems to be no hope from the Centre of being able to find a permanent solution to Kashmir.
The Home Minister yesterday assured that a solution for the Kashmir unrest will be chalked out at any cost, while adding that all the impediments coming in between the better future of Kashmir will be removed.
“We will find a permanent solution to Kashmir. It might take some time because the problem which has been prevailing since 1947, the solution to it cannot be taken out with just a snap. We will remove all the impediments for a better future of Kashmir. The nature which has given talent in the hands of the people of Kashmir will be used for the development of the Valley and country. Nature has not given those hands to pelt stones,” he said.
Rajnath also hinted towards the process of dialogue, saying the Government will talk to anybody who wants to initiate talks.
“The situation in Kashmir has seen a lot of improvement and we can assure that the government will get the situation under control. Despite having a large Muslim population, ISIS has been unable to establish a hold in India,” Singh said when addressing the media in New Delhi.
KV Correspondent
