launching a scathing attack on Pakistan, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, on Sunday, said terrorism is the weapon of cowards and added that India would give a befitting reply to the ‘unprovoked’ ceasefire violations from the other side of the border without counting the number of bullets.
Union Home Minister also claimed, “Pakistan is conspiring to divide India on religious lines but it will not succeed. We were divided in 1947 on religious basis. We have not been able to forget that. All Indians are brothers, whether they are born from the womb of a Hindu mother or a Muslim mother.”
“No where in the world other than India 72 sects of Islam live together peacefully,” he added.
Singh, who was addressing a rally during the ‘Shahidi Diwas’ programme in Kathua, said Pakistan needs to mend its ways and learn to live in peace with India.
“Pakistan has been divided into two countries (in 1971). If it does not stop cross-border terrorism, it will soon be disintegrated into 10 pieces and India will have no role in that division of Pakistan. We will not do it,” he said.
The Minister said India always wanted friendly relations with Pakistan and that was why soon after the Kargil war ended, the then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee extended a hand of friendship toward Pakistan. “Not only this, he went to Pakistan but what has Pakistan given in return, repeated ceasefire violations,” he said.
He further said, “During the recent visit of the officers of Pakistan Rangers to India I told them that the Border Security Force or Indian soldiers will not fire the first bullet on any civilian of Pakistan because at some point in time it was part of our family”.
“We still do not consider them separate, they are still our brothers and we do not want to fire a bullet on any brother or any human being but keep it in mind that if you fire the first bullet on the soldiers of India then we will tell our soldiers not to keep count of the bullets they fire,” Singh said.
Singh said that as the Home Minister of the country, he wanted to make it clear that India is committed to taking along everybody and moving ahead on the path of development.
He also offered India’s cooperation to Pakistan to eradicate the menace of terrorism from its soil.
“If Pakistan is serious about eradicating terrorism but is incapable of doing that and wants cooperation, we are ready to help it eradicate terrorism from there,” the minister said.
He said, “We want to live in peace with Pakistan but it has indulged in sponsoring a proxy war against India.
“Every Prime Minister of India wanted to mend relations with Pakistan but it (Pakistan) did not understand the language of peace and attacked India four times. But our brave soldiers gave them a befitting reply.”
After repeated defeats, Pakistan has understood that it cannot defeat India in wars so it has resorted to sponsoring proxy war. Singh said that while the entire world was concerned about the spread of ISIS, the terrorist organisation has failed to spread its roots in India. “They(ISIS) never got foothold in India because terrorism has got not support in India,” he also said.
“If by chance someone goes missing, his family members inform the ministry to save their son,” he added. “Pakistan will never understand this India. Pakistan came into existence after India got divided on religious lines but still it could not keep the entire Pakistan united.
The ‘Shahidi Diwas’ function was organised by state Forest Minister lal Singh. Mos PMO Jitendra Singh and senior party leaders attended the function along with large number of members of martyrs families.