“I saw people were 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”. “Those who provide support, encouragement, sanctuary, safe haven or any assistance to terrorism or terrorists must be isolated”.
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Singhvi contended that there have been SAARC meetings earlier as also the shadow of terrorism, “but never before have we seen such type of insult against India”. “I urged all members that terrorists should not be glorified or patronised”. “We must harden our resolve to eradicate this menace and also take serious steps to this end”, he said.
The current strain in Indo-Pak relations was apparently evident when Singh came face-to-face with his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan for the first time on Thursday and the two leaders barely shook hands. Chaudhry Nisar, in a rather unusual and inexplicable move, decided not to attend the luncheon arranged in honour of the participating ministers, citing previously-arranged engagements.
I told all the dignitaries attending the SAARC meet that terrorism should not be encouraged.
Singh also skipped the lunch hosted by Khan after the meeting, as his host had left the venue.
Rajnath Singh too didn’t care for Khan’s rudeness and had lunch in his hotel suite.
“It would be hard for me at this moment to answer whether there is a convention of (allowing) coverage or not, or whether it was done deliberately”, Singh said.
Reports said that the Pakistan government censored Rajnath Singh’s speech and didn’t allow it to be covered live. Thursday’s meeting was particularly ill-timed, coming as it did in the backdrop of terrorist attacks in Pathankot and Dinanagar and the recent demonstrations in solidarity with the slain terrorist Burhan Wani.
“But we have a reputation of welcoming our guests and we should maintain that”.
Given the ingrained animosities and bitterness between the biggest of the eight-member body, it would be foolhardy for anyone to expect real progress unless India and Pakistan resolved their differences. We have to rise above our national agendas.
“We are respecting public sentiments”, one official said.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh recalled former Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s statement that one can change friends but not neighbours.
“We engage in the blame game for the last six decade and got no where”. Moreover, both Pakistan and India should realise that the SAARC summit is not only about them.
“How these matters can be resolved with negotiations, and discussion”.
Reading out the relevant portion from Rajnath’s statement in the parliament, Swarup said, “There is no contradiction between what was said by the home minister in parliament today and what is the general understanding of SAARC practices”.
India’s Home minister Rajnath Singh used the Saarc Home Ministers’ meeting in Pakistan on August 4 to seek the “strongest” action against countries that back terrorism and pilloried those who eulogize terrorists, delivering a terse message that was not covered by the Pakistani media. “Kashmir is the fundamental issue between Pakistan and India, which should be resolved according to UN Security Council’s resolutions”, he said.
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“The will and the mandate of global community against proscribed and wanted terrorists and their organisations must also be respected and implemented”.
