Forces will make cost of Pak’s adventurism unaffordable for Islamabad: Jaitley
With Pakistan brazenly violating ceasefire in Jammu & Kashmir, India on Thursday gave a stern message to its neighbour that it will have to pay an “unaffordable” cost for its “adventurism.” While Prime Minister Narendra Modi said security forces had responded to aggression with courage and lamented efforts to politicise the issue, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley asserted that strong Indian action will continue till Pakistan stopped shelling and firing.
Facing flak from Opposition parties, including the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), over escalating ceasefire violations by Pakistan for the last few days on the International Border and line of Control (loC), Modi said such incidents should be not be politicised as soldiers fighting on the border are demoralised.
Addressing an election rally in Baramati (Maharashtra), considered to be the bastion of NCP chief and former Defence Minister Sharad Pawar, the Prime Minister said, “The enemy has realised that times have changed and their old habits will not be tolerated.”
In Delhi, Jaitley said Pakistan is the aggressor in the ongoing attacks but it must realise that our deterrence will be credible. “If Pakistan persists with this adventurism, our forces will make the cost of this adventurism unaffordable,” he said. India’s message has reached Pakistan, he said, adding the strong Indian response will continue if Pakistan persists with firing and shelling.
The Ministry of External Affairs had summoned the Pakistan Deputy High Commissioner on Tuesday in New Delhi to lodge India’s protest over ceasefire violations saying it will not help the bilateral ties.
The summoning came a day after Pakistan issued a demarche to India by calling in the Indian Deputy High Commissioner in Islamabad.
Charging Opposition leaders for their “ill-informed” criticism of the Government over ceasefire violations, Jaitley said, “They should at least know this much as to what extent our forces are going to protect the borders.”
Asked about Pakistan’s motives behind the escalation, Jaitley said he would not like to speculate but firing could be a cover for infiltration and also an effort by it to precipitate tension. “Our forces have only one option which is to respond adequately,” the Defence Minister said.
Ruling out talks between the two countries, he said, “How can you talk when firing is on.” He asserted that if Pakistan wanted peace on the borders it should stop what it is doing. “Pakistan has to stop this unprovoked firing and shelling. As long as that continues how can there be peace,” Jaitley said.
He said India is a responsible country, which is not an aggressor but it is responsible for fully protecting its people and land. “Our forces are taking all steps they can to protect our people and land,” he said.
At the same time, taking on the Opposition, Modi said, “People know my intentions and I need not express those in words. Where the jawans have to speak, they speak with their finger on the trigger...And they will continue to speak that way.”
He said, “Today, when bullets are being fired on the border, it is the enemy that is screaming. Our jawans have responded to the aggression with courage.” Modi lamented that targeting the Government on such a matter in public rallies demoralised the jawans.
“Such an issue should not be part of a political debate... Elections will come and go, Governments will come and go, but please do not demoralise those fighting on the border by debating these things for political gains,” the Prime Minister said.
Taking potshots at Pawar, who had criticised Modi for election campaigning in Maharashtra when there was tension on the border, the Prime Minister asked, “When you (Pawar) were the Defence Minister, there were problems with Pakistan and China on the border. Did you ever bother to go to the border thenIJ”
“There have been terror strikes in Maharashtra during your tenure...Mumbai, Malegaon, Pune. You could not even reach the terrorists, leave alone catching them. In the spirit of patriotism, we never politicised the issue,” he said.
The situation on loC and line of Actual Control (lAC) with China will come up for discussion during the three-day Army Commanders’ Conference starting in New Delhi on Monday. Modi will also be briefed about the overall security scenario in India’s strategic neighbourhood by the three Services Chiefs on Thursday next week.