“One country’s terrorist can not be a freedom fighter for anyone…” “I saw people protesting at several places in groups of 10-25 or 100”, he said, adding “had I bothered about the protest, I probably wouldn’t have gone to Pakistan”.
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Hitting out at Pakistan for declaring slain Hizbul militant Burhan Wani a martyr, Union home minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday that “there should be no glorification or eulogising of terrorists as martyrs”.
Rajnath Singh: “The will and the mandate of global community against proscribed and wanted terrorists and their organisations must also be respected and implemented”.
Pakistan hosted the Saarc meeting amid a bloody unrest in the Kashmir Valley that has left more than 50 people dead in clashes between security forces and Kashmiri protesters in almost a month of turmoil.
“As far as the reported blacking out of my speech is concerned, I am not aware of protocol norms followed during previous events”.
According to sources, Rajnath Singh had a word with Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the phone and he explained the misbehaviour of the Pakistan government and how his speech in front of SAARC nations was not telecast. About the “blackout” I will need to ask MEA about protocol of past occasions, he added. I also left then. Singh also skipped the lunch after the host himself left the venue.
The minister, however, said he won’t comment on whether the Pakistan government behaved “well with me”. All our PMs have done their best to improve relations with our neighbours but the problem is “yeh padosi hai ki maanta hi nahi hai”, he said amid laughter in Rajya Sabha.
Apart from seeking consular access to him, the government has also approached Pakistan asking it to allow Ansari to speak to his family.
The Obama administration has once again urged Pakistan to take stern action against all the terrorist groups that target Pakistan itself and it’s neighbours including India. The Home Minister said all member states who have not ratified SAARC convention on Mutual Assistance on Criminal Matters, need to ratify the same. Local media reports claimed Khan chose to ignore the written notes in order to respond to Singh’s speech.
Pak claimed that Singh left SAARC meet at Kashmir’s mention; India denied.
It was all going quite well until the Pathankot attack happened and Pakistan derailed the entire process. He told the audience: “There is no good or bad terrorism”.
The Pakistani official also rejected any discrimination against Indian media, saying that even the Pakistani private media was also not allowed to cover the conference as only the official media was deputed for it.
Some reports said that there was an aggressive verbal exchange between officials of the two sides over the issue.
In a statement on Saturday, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif called upon the worldwide community to call on India to allow Pakistan to arrange for the medical treatment of Kashmiris who had been injured or maimed during the clashes in the region.
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The reaction came after reports claimed that Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s speech during SAARC summit in Pakistan over terrorism.
