New Delhi: Breaking his silence on allegations that Indian intelligence agencies have carried out multiple cross-border assassinations of terrorists in Pakistan, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said Friday: “India has that power and Pakistan also realises this now.”
Singh was responding to a question on a report by UK paper The Guardian which has alleged that multiple assassinations were carried out by Indian intelligence agencies of wanted terrorists holed up in Pakistan.
“If any terrorist tries to disturb the peace in Bharat, or tries to carry out terror activities in Bharat, we will give them ‘muh tod jawab’. If they run to Pakistan, we will enter Pakistan and kill them,” he said in an interview to News 18.
The Defence Minister said he endorsed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent claim that this was not a Bharat that would be “a mute spectator”.
“We will enter your territory to kill the terrorists,” Modi had said.
“Whatever the Prime Minister said is absolutely true. And this is the strength of India. And Pakistan has also started understanding this,” Singh said.
The Defence Minister added that India wants to maintain good relations with its neighbouring countries.
“Whatever it is, they are our neighbouring country. Look at the history. Till date, we have neither attacked any land in the world nor have we taken any initiative to attack any… This has been the nature of India.
“But if anyone shows India the angry eye again and again, comes to India and tries to promote terrorist activities, we will not spare them,” Singh added.
There have been several allegations against India by the Pakistan government of assassinations, charges which have been denied by India in the past, and as recently as January this year.
Singh’s remarks come at a time when Canada has linked the Indian government to an assassination of a Sikh separatist in the country, while the US has accused Indian agents of plotting the killing of another on its soil.
Meanwhile, Rajnath Singh also said Friday that time had come to remove the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from Jammu and Kashmir and that the Home Ministry would take a final call on this.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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