New Delhi/ Nagpur: India will not launch unprovoked first strike against Pakistan as it wants cordial relations with all its neighbours, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday told the Pakistan Rangers’ delegation which is here for border-talks. “India wants friendly relations with all its neighbours. India will not make unprovoked first strike against Pakistan along the border,” Singh assured the delegation of Pakistan Rangers, headed by its Director General Maj Gen Umar Farooq Burki.
In his responsive gesture, Burki told Singh that he was the “mere DG of a force and not the leadership” like the Home Minister and could not give any commitment in this regard. Burki, however, said that he would convey Singh’s message to the Pakistani leadership. The Home Minister in his firm tone further told the Pakistan Rangers’ delegation that it should be ensured that no infiltration takes place from Pakistan into India.
According to him, both India and Pakistan must unitedly act against the menace of terrorism, which eats up the peace and prosperity of any nation.
“Like India, Pakistan, too, is a victim of terrorism,” Singh reminded the Pakistani delegation. He said India wanted to engage in dialogue with Pakistan at different levels and that was why Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recently met his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharief.
“Unfortunately, the NSA-level talks did not take place. But we want to have a good relation with Pakistan. I am saying this not for formality’s sake, but ‘tah-e-dil-se’ (from the bottom of the heart),” Home Minister said.
Quoting former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Singh further said that “we can change friends, but not the neighbours” and that was why it was necessary to have cordial relations with all neighbouring countries.
Media, witnessing this happy development, hopes that all should go well with Pakistan government henceforth. But, unfortunate failures of talks at various levels in the past are still hovering round the memory lane as to how all commitments made by Pakistan delegations and even the political leaders as well as government of Pakistan have utterly failed so far. Media is even concerned about the latest incident of cross-border firing from Pakistan on the late evening of Sept 10, killing two Indian jawans, despite the fact that BSF-Pak Rangers level talks were in progress.
