If we talk to Pak, it will be about PoK now: Rajnath Singh

If a dialogue is held between India and Pakistan in future, it would be focused on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), defence minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday, ratcheting up the rhetoric against Islamabad at a time when tensions between the two countries have spiralled following New Delhi’s move to end special privileges to militancy-hit Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).

Two days after Singh hinted that India might change its “no first use” policy for nuclear weapons depending on “circumstances”, he launched another scathing attack on the neighbour and underlined that Pakistan must first stop supporting terrorism for a dialogue to begin, a reiteration of New Delhi’s stand that terror and talks cannot go hand in hand.

“Pakistan says there should be talks...why should there be talks? As long as Pakistan does not stop supporting terrorists on its soil, there is no reason to have a dialogue with it,” Singh said, addressing a rally ahead of flagging off a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) programme in Haryana where elections will be held later this year.

“If at all, there will be a dialogue on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. No other issue will be taken up for talks,” Singh said in Kalka, drawing cheers from the crowd.

Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi hit back, saying Singh’s remarks were “reflective of the predicament that India finds itself in, after its illegal and unilateral actions imperiling peace and security in the region and beyond”.

In Haryana, Singh also said Pakistan was unsettled by India’s decision to withdraw special status to J&K. No country has come to Pakistan’s rescue even though it has been knocking at the door of the international community, he added amid the loud chanting of “Jai Shri Ram”. “Even the president of America, a country perceived to be the most powerful in the world, has snubbed Pakistan,” Singh said.

But Qureshi countered Singh, and stressed, “The world community, including the United Nations Security Council, have taken cognisance” of the situation in Kashmir.

In the first week of August, Indian Parliament passed resolutions and laws to bifurcate J&K into two Union Territories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh — and scrap constitutional provisions giving the state special status under Article 370 and its people special privileges.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government’s move to nullify Article 370 meant laws passed by Parliament will apply to Kashmir without exceptions, will not make citizenship of the state exclusive and will allow outsiders to own properties in the state, among others.

Pakistan, which India says exports terror to J&K, said the move could disrupt regional peace, and the restrictions imposed in the state by India a day before taking the decision was an oppression of the Kashmiri people.

On Friday, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) held closed-door consultations without granting Islamabad a formal and open meeting. Pakistan’s request for a formal meeting of the UNSC over the Kashmir issue garnered the support of just one of the body’s 15 members: China.

After the discussions, India said there was “broad acceptance” in the world community of New Delhi’s commitment to bilaterally address all issues with Pakistan. India maintains the move on J&K is an internal issue and is aimed at ensuring development in the region.

At the Kalka rally, Singh said for the present government, India’s respect and pride was above everything else. “I want to assure you... I want to say it clearly that the [Centre’s ruling] BJP does not do politics for forming government...we will not compromise the prestige of Mother India,” he said.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan recently said India was planning a bigger strike than that in Balakot, which, in turn, meant he admitted that the Balakot air strike took place and a large number of terrorists were eliminated, Singh said.

He was referring to the Indian Air Force’s February 26 raid targeting a Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp deep inside Pakistan in retaliation against a brazen strike in J&K’s Pulwama on February 14 that killed at least 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel. Pakistan maintains that Indian forces failed to inflict any damage in the Balakot air strike.

On Friday, Singh created a buzz in diplomatic and political circles after saying that India might change its “no first use” policy for nuclear weapons, a remark that came against the backdrop of heightened tensions with Pakistan. Islamabad reacted sharply to his comments, with foreign minister Qureshi saying it was another “damning reminder of India’s unbridled thirst for violence”.

On Sunday, Union minister Jitendra Singh too touched upon PoK at an event organised by the BJP’s J&K unit at the party headquarters in Jammu. The minister of state for the Prime Minister’s Office also hit out at Pakistan for the “illegal occupation” of the region.

“We are lucky that it (revoking of the special status of J&K) happened in our lifetime. It is because of the sacrifices of our three generations,” he said. “Let us pray that we see the integration of PoK with the country and people freely visit Muzaffarabad (capital of PoK).”

(With inputs from agencies)