Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stated on Sunday that India is willing to engage in dialogue with Pakistan, provided it ends terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing a rally in the poll-bound Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, Singh reiterated that India is open to talks with Pakistan if it ceases its support for terrorism in the region.
“Pakistan (should) do one thing that is stop taking (the) support of terrorism. Who would not like to improve relations with neighboring countries? Because I know the reality that you can change a friend but not your neighbour. We want improved relations with Pakistan but first of all, they should stop terrorism,” Singh told a well-attended gathering here.
Singh was campaigning for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Mohd Saleem Bhat. The Defence Minister stated that the revocation of Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was aimed at alleviating the suffering of the people and promoting prosperity in the region.
“Among those who fell to terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, 85 percent were Muslims. Terror incidents used to be a routine affair in Kashmir. Were Hindus being killed in the terror acts? I have been a home minister and I know the highest number of Muslims lost their lives in the incidents of terror,” Singh said.
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Rajnath Singh invites PoK residents to join India
Rajnath Singh also said that residents of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) are India’s ‘own’ and said that Pakistan treats them as ‘foreigners’.
“I want to tell PoK residents that Pakistan considers you foreigners, but the people in India do not consider you so. We consider you our own and so come and join us,” he said.
“Support the BJP to form the next government in J-K so that we can facilitate massive development in the region. There will be so much development that the people in PoK on seeing this should say that we do not want to live with Pakistan and instead will go to India,” the defence minister said, while addressing an election rally in the Ramban assembly constituency in support of BJP candidate Rakesh Singh Thakur.
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