Continuing to talk tough, India on Wednesday said that it will address its concerns on terrorism through all means available and that “our tool kit is not restricted in any manner”. New Delhi’s strong response followed Islamabad terming Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement about its “proxy war” against India as “baseless rhetoric”. The Ministry of External Affairs said terrorism remains the “core concern” of Indo-Pak relationship and the PM only articulated these ‘core concerns’.
“Terrorism for us is a real and present danger. The Prime Minister was articulating what is for us the core concern in our relation with Pakistan. Mere denials of selective approaches towards terrorism are not going to drive away our concerns. Some of the worst terrorist attacks in the country owe their genesis to areas which were either in Pakistani control or in Pakistan. The attack on Parliament, and Mumbai terror attack cannot be wished away. These are matters of real concern,” said External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin.
Modi had on Tuesday accused Pakistan of conducting a “proxy war” against India. Responding swiftly to the comment, the Pakistani Government termed Modi’s statement “most unfortunate” and the country was keen for “good neighbourly relations.”Pakistani Government spokesperson in Islamabad said Pakistan itself has been the biggest victim of terrorism. While pointing 55,000 of its citizens have died due terrorism, the spokesperson said Pakistan condemned terrorism “in all its forms and manifestations.”
“Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s visit to India in May was in this spirit and generated a fresh momentum in the bilateral relationship. It would be in the larger interest of the regional peace that instead of engaging in a blame game, the two countries should focus on resolving all issues through dialogue and work together to promote friendly and cooperative relations,” the Pakistani spokesperson said.
However, India maintained that terrorist activities emanating from Pakistani soil remain India’s main concern and mere denial will not drive away India’s concerns about terrorism. The matter is likely to figure during the scheduled meeting of Indian and Pakistani Foreign Secretaries this month.