*Dr Jitendra for construction of Shahpur Kandi project
Avtar Bhat
Kathua, Dec 11: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said India has always wanted to have friendly relations with all its neighbours but Pakistan has betrayed India and returned peace initiatives with terrorist attacks.
Referring to the invitation extended to SAARC countries for the oath-taking ceremony of Narendra Modi, he said this was done because “we realised if we want to make India a powerful country we need cooperation of all neighbouring countries”.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi, before the formation of the Government, had held a party meeting and we decided if we want to make India a powerful country we need cooperation of all the neighbouring countries. So we decided to invite all the neighbouring heads of State/Government and we invited Nawaz Sharif also, and he had come,” Singh said addressing ‘Shaheedi Divas’ rally organized here in the memory of martyrs this afternoon.
“Sharif was invited not just to shake hands but let the hearts of the two countries to meet,” he said, adding Pakistan should understand “our intentions but it has failed to do so”.
He also said that Modi, “breaking all the protocols”, went to attend a function in Sharif’s family while returning from Afghanistan.
“We try our best that our neighbours live in peace with us. We want development of India as well as that of Pakistan, Nepal, Myanmar, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. All should progress. We want this. But what has Pakistan given us in return of our large-heartedness?
“We got Gurdaspur, Pathankot and Uri where terrorists entered and launched cowardly attacks on our soldiers,” Singh said. “But we also showed them what we are capable of,” he added.
“I thank our soldiers who succeeded in giving the message we cannot only hit them here but if need arises we can hit them anywhere,” Singh said, referring to the surgical strikes carried by the Army inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
He accused Pakistan of continuously fuelling terrorism and said India wants friendly ties with the neighbouring country but will never compromise on the issue of terrorism.
“I ask them (Pakistan) why they are not saying they are not ready to compromise on terrorism. If India says this why Pakistan is not saying the same,” Singh said.
He said after Gurdaspur and Pathankot terror attacks, Pakistan had stated it wanted to cooperate and sent a team to India. “But after the team’s return to Pakistan, they refused to allow Indian SIT to visit Pakistan,” he said.
He also said there is no good terrorist or bad terrorist.
“Terrorist is a terrorist no matter which country he belongs to. There are no good or bad terrorists,” Singh said.
Referring to his visit to Pakistan to participate in the SAARC Interior Ministers’ conference in August, Singh said, initially he wanted his Minister of State to take part in it, but when he came to know that protests were taking place against the visit he decided to go and “issue a statement against terrorism from the Pakistani soil”.
“Leaders of terrorist organizations were leading those protests so I decided to go and whatever has to be said I will say it. Was the Government of Pakistan not in a position to stop them? We decided to speak it from within the heart of Pakistan and we spoke it from within Pakistan,” he said.
He said India is incomplete without Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh and no power in the world can separate them from the country.
He said India and Pakistan have fought four wars and every time India has given a befitting reply.
He said Pakistan has realised it cannot defeat India in wars so it has resorted to “proxy war”.
“It has taken support of terrorism. With terrorism, it wants to separate Jammu and Kashmir from India. Pakistan should realize this reality that terrorism is not the weapon of brave but the weapon of cowards,” he said.
Rajnath accused Pakistan of “conspiring” to divide India on religious lines but said it will not succeed.
“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,” he said.
Singh said nowhere in the world other than India 72 sects of Islam live together peacefully.
He 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 to eradicate terrorism from there,” the Home 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 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, he said, adding that “terrorism is the weapon of weak and not the brave”.
“In 1971, the same Pakistan got further divided into two pieces and I feel if Pakistan does not mend its ways, it would further get divided into 10 pieces and India will have no role in that division of Pakistan. We will not do it,” Singh said.
He said that Indian ideology has never been that of an expansionist and history is witness to the fact that India has never attacked any country for expanding its boundaries.
“We do not want to conquer any other country, we do not want to harass any other country. India is a country of saints and sages who advocated that the whole world is one family. We not only consider the people living within the boundaries of India as our family members but the people living on this planet are part of our family,” he said.
The Home Minister said India always wanted friendly relations with Pakistan and that was why soon after the Kargil war ended, the then Prime Minister Atal Behari 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 said that “during the 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.
Referring to demonetization, Rajnath said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘notebandi’ decision has resulted in ‘nasbandi’ for anti-national elements and hoarders of black money.
“To control the menace of terrorism, separatism and Naxalism, the Prime Minister took the demonetization decision.
“However, some people are making fun of it by terming it as ‘nasbandi’ (vasectomy). If we have cut anyone’s ‘nas’, it is that of terrorists, Naxalites and people who hoard black money,” Rajnath said.
He said the decision had been taken in the larger interest of the country, and appealed to people to cooperate with the move.
“Prime Minister has stated that he needs 50 days and after that the situation would improve,” Rajnath said.
The Home Minister also stressed that the nation would always stand united, in the face of any external adversity, leaving behind caste and religion.
“There is no dearth of people in India who want to sacrifice their life for the country. No power in the world can think of harming the integrity of the nation,” he said.
On the occasion, Singh also remembered the sacrifice of freedom fighters who laid down their lives in service of the country.
Making it clear that India is incomplete without Kashmir, the Home Minister said that no power on earth can snatch Jammu, Kashmir or Ladakh from India. Even the progress of India is incomplete without the progress of J&K, he added.
Maintaining that entire India is one and people of the country are united to face enemy, he said whenever any one tries to have an evil eye on our borders entire nation will unitedly fight for national cause.
He also recalled the sacrifices of freedom fighters and paid tributes to Raj Guru, Chander Shekhar Azad and Ashfaq Ullah.
The Home Minister announced creation of five Indian Reserve Battalions in the State and said 60 per cent youth from border belt will be appointed in it.
On the demand of Forest Minster, Choudhry Lal Singh regarding launch of special recruitment drive in Army and para military forces for border and Kandi belt of Kathua, Singh said he can’t make any promise but whatever he can do he will do at his level.
Addressing the function, Union Minster in PMO with Independent charge of North Eastern States, Dr Jitendra Singh recalled the sacrifices and valour of the people of Jammu region who he said are the patriots to core.
He also recalled the sacrifice of former Jana Sangh president Dr Shyamaprasad Mookherjee who entered J&K via Lakhanpur and laid down his life here to break permit system.
He said the people of this area which is a border belt despite facing the bullets from across border never cried but favoured that the enemy be taught a befitting reply. Though living near the National Highway these people have been neglected for decades together, he added.
He said it was after the Narendra Modi Government which took over at New Delhi over two and a half years back that many developmental projects were launched for the upliftment of the people of this belt.
He said during this period the SPOs salaries were doubled, the compensation for the border people killed in firing was made double, Rs 2000 crore compensation was sanctioned as first instalment for PoJK refugees, the relief for Jammu migrants was enhanced at par with Kashmiri migrants, construction of bunkers was started on LoC and IB besides the cattle insurance for border people. This all was done with the efforts of Home Minister, he added.
Maintaining that morale of border peoples is high, Dr Singh said, these people are not concerned for their problems but feel morally boosted as this time Pakistan is being given a befitting reply.
He also while highlighting various development projects said 40 km distance will be shortened to eight kms after the construction of Keriyan Gandyal bridge over river Ravi in Kathua on which the work has been started. Dedication of Atal Sethu at Basholi to nation, sanction of bio- technological park at Ghatti Kathua, Jathano bridge and approval of 75 roads under PMGSY in Kathua district are our major achievements. Besides, first Seed Processing Project will be set up at Kathua, he added.
He said that the BJP is committed to fulfill all poll promises and this is the reason that various new developmental projects were taken up in hand in the State soon after the formation of Modi Government at Centre.
Dr Singh while strongly advocating for construction of Shahpur Kandi Project on which State Government has some reservations appealed it to take up the project in hand as it will change the fate of entire Kandi belt.
Projecting the problems of Kathua people before the Union Home Minster, Minister of Forests and Environment Ch Lal Singh said that Kathua is divided into Kandi and border belt where the people have different kind of problems. He said this belt has constantly been ignored for years together. He said to destroy the kandi the wine shops were opened under a hatched conspiracy so that the people become drug addicts here.
Maintaining that the people of this belt are great warriors, he recalled that it was with their valour and bravery that the boundaries of J&K were extended to Askardoo and Tibet.
He demanded that a special recruitment drive be launched in Kandi belt in Army and para military forces and from every village five persons be recruited in the Army and para military forces.
He said for last 17 years he has been celebrating the Shaheedi Diwas in honour of 110 martyrs from Kathua district who laid down their lives for nation since 1999 to 2016.
He said to honour the families of these martyrs every year this day is being celebrated.
BJP State president Sat Sharma said that though martyrs were neglected earlier but it was after the Vajpayee Government came to power in 1998 that it started many welfare schemes for them.
The function among others was attended by MP Jugal Kishore Sharma, Minister of Animal Husbandry Abdul Gani Kohli,, MoS Power and Industries, Farooq Ahmed Andrabi, BJP general secretary (Org) Ashok Kaul, Vice chairman OBC Board Rishi Paul Verma, BJP general secretary, Pawan Khajuria, MLAs Rajeev Jasrotia, Dr Divender Manyal, Krishan Lal Bhagat, Ravinder Raina and Kuldeep Raj, BJP leader Vikram Randhwa, District president BJP Prem Nath Dogra and advocate Vijay Sharma.
Follow our WhatsApp channel