Talks with Pakistan only on PoK, says Rajnath Singh at rally in Kalka

Pradeep Sharma
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, August 18

Asserting that dialogue with Pakistan is not possible till it stops aiding and abetting terrorism, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday that if talks are held with Pakistan, they will be only on Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).

"If talks are ever held with Pakistan, it will now be on PoK. The talks with Pakistan will be held only if it stops supporting terror," he said.

Singh was addressing a rally before flagging off BJP’s “Jan Ashirwad Yatra” at Kalka, about 30 from here.

Referring to the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution, which accorded special status to Jammu and Kashmir, Singh said Pakistan was knocking at the doors of the international community claiming that India had “made a mistake”.

Singh stated that the abrogation of Article 370 was “non-negotiable” as the bifurcation of the state had been done purely for its “development”.

Claiming that Pakistan had been isolated internationally on the Jammu and Kashmir issue, the minister said even US had not given much credence to Pakistan’s allegations on the issue.

Singh asserted that a few days back Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan told his country that India was planning to take an action bigger than Balakot against Pakistan.

"Now even Pakistan Prime Minister acknowledges what India did in Balakot," he said, adding, that the government’s actions were purely with the view to safeguard the unity and the integrity of the country and were not “election stunts”.

Singh also fired salvos at the Congress for delaying the Rafael deal claiming that if India had Rafale fighter planes, the country could have launched Balakot-type strike from the Indian soil.

Earlier, Rajnath Singh batted for a second term for Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar saying that Khattar deserved another term for undertaking unprecedented development and providing a transparent and corruption-free administration.

Meanwhile, the Yatra—to be undertaken by Khattar in the run up to Haryana's upcoming Assembly elections—will pass through the state's 90 Assembly seats and conclude with a rally in Rohtak on September 8 which would be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

BJP top brass, including state election-in-charge and Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Haryana BJP Affairs in charge Anil Jain, Union ministers Krishan Pal Gurjar and Rattan Lal Kataria attended the rally.