The BJP has demanded Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to cancel his proposed meeting with Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif in the US on the sidelines of UN General Assembly meeting there in September. The Opposition party also wants the Government to allow the Army to “answer” Pakistan in the language that it understands.
“There should be no talks at any level, especially at the prime ministerial level,” former External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha told reporters.
He suggested there should be no talks with Pakistan until they keep the assurance given to Atal Bihari Vajpayee on January 6, 2004. India and Pakistan had signed an accord in January 2004 in which the latter promised not to allow its soil to be used for terror activities against India.
“We have been confused about talks and war. There is a huge space between talks and war,” Sinha said, adding this space has not been used by the Indian Government. Referring to Defence Minister AK Antony’s statement in Parliament on Tuesday, BJP said it is a matter of concern that there has been an 80 per cent increase in infiltration across loC and there were 57 ceasefire violations in the last six months alone.
The BJP said the Government should order Indian forces to retaliate when such attacks take place in future. “There is nothing worse than tying their hands and making them take bullets,” Sinha said.
He added, “Pakistan has been openly flouting the ceasefire agreement and now even the fig leaf has gone. Why does the Indian Government not take this up with Pakistan through diplomatic channelsIJ”
Sinha maintained that instead of the Government calling Pakistan Deputy High Commissioner to register its protest against the killing of five India soldiers, the Pakistan High Commissioner should have been asked to present himself before the Indian Foreign Secretary.