Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh extended Pakistan’s offer of support on Thursday in the fight against terrorism occurring on its territory. Rajnath Singh said,”If Pakistan feels incapable, India is ready to cooperate to stop terrorism.” However, he also warned Pakistan that if its aim is to destabilise India by using terrorism, it would have to suffer the consequences.
The firm remark comes a week after he warned Pakistan that India will pursue any terrorist who tries to escape by crossing the border. “If they run to Pakistan, we will enter Pakistan to kill them.”That statement was made in reference to a report published in the British daily The Guardian, which charged Delhi with carrying out targeted assassinations of terrorists in Pakistan.
“False and malicious anti-Indian propaganda” is how the government has dismissed the claim.
The External Affairs Ministry refuted the statement made by its boss, S Jaishankar, that targeted killings on foreign soil are “not the Government of India’s policy.”
Mr. Jaishankar’s remark was made in reference to Justin Trudeau of Canada’s allegations that “agents” of the Indian government were responsible for the death of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the leader of the outlawed Khalistan Tiger Force, on Canadian territory.
The Guardian report said that the Indian government “has implemented a policy of targeting those it considers hostile to India” and mentioned the ministry’s denial.
According to The Guardian, there have been as many as 20 such killings since the February 2019 attack on Indian soldiers in Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in the deaths of 40 men. Additionally, Mr. Singh’s offer was similar to that of 2018 and 2019.
“A situation will be created (if it did not act on its own) that terror bases will be wiped out from Pakistan and no power will be able to stop this,” the Defence Minister also forewarned Islamabad on that occasion.
“If Pakistan thinks it does not have strength to deal with terrorism… it can seek help,” he said. “India has shown it has the strength to not only strike from its soil… we can also strike on soil of another country.”
Following the Air Force’s “non-military, pre-emptive” strikes on terrorist bases in Pakistan’s Balakote, which were run by the outlawed Jaish-e-Mohammed group that was accountable for the Pulwama attack, the Defence Minister made his remarks one month later.
Mr. Singh had mentioned American efforts to combat terrorism in Afghanistan months earlier. He said,”I want to ask Pakistani Prime Minister (then Imran Khan) … if Taliban can be fought with help of US, Pakistan can seek help against terrorism from India…”
(With inputs from ANI)
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‘India ready to cooperate…’: Rajnath Singh offers assistance to Pakistan in combating terrorism
