IANS

India has never violated the 2003 ceasefire with Pakistan on the Jammu and Kashmir border, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said yesterday.

“India never violates the ceasefire. It is a country which believes in peace,” the minister said in response to Pakistani allegations.

“In the last two days, it is Pakistan which has violated the ceasefire. They did not even spare a day like Diwali,” he added.

The latest alleged ceasefire violation by Pakistani forces occurred on Thursday, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was visiting Kashmir.

Singh was speaking at an event to mark the 53rd Raising Day of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) at Soorajpur here.

The home minister also warned Pakistan and said “India is capable of issuing befitting replies”.

He said: “I want to tell Pakistan to stop this continuous violation of ceasefire.”

Referring to the recent border row with China, he said: “We should resolve the border disputes with China through talks. We also want peace but with respect. Peace cannot come at the cost of honour.”

He said: “When we get to know about ceasefire violations done by Pakistan or there is some dispute in the context of India-China border, we feel hurt and we feel angered.”

Singh said Modi has made it clear that New Delhi wants to maintain peaceful relations with all its neighbours and resolve border issues peacefully.

He said: “Our prime minister has told the Chinese president and requested him that if there is a dispute, we should talk.”

The home minister said China often raises questions over the border and even raised objections when India wanted to improve border infrastructure within its own territory.

China objected to India building a road along the border and said on October 15 that India should not take any action that may complicate the situation in disputed border areas.

The remarks came after comments by Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju on October 14 that India is planning a 2,000km-long road along the international border between Mago-Thingbu in Tawang district and Vijaynagar in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh.

l India yesterday downplayed a planned rally by a pro-Pakistan group on the Kashmir issue in Britain, saying London had assured it that only the two Asian countries can resolve the matter.

The “million march” rally is planned in London tomorrow to highlight the Kashmir issue.

Ministry of external affairs spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said: “Pluralist democracies sometimes have platforms that can be utilised by groups which are opposed to pluralism.”

He added that forces inimical to India-Britain relations may utilise opportunities of this sort.

“India is a country of more than a billion, and a million march doesn’t overawe us,” Akbaruddin told reporters in New Delhi.

“It is possible that forces inimical to India-Britain relations may utilise opportunities of this sort and it was in this context that we discussed with Britain and we were reassured repeatedly that the British view is very clear and that it is for India and Pakistan to resolve any issue that they have by themselves,” he said.

On a resolution passed by Pakistan’s parliament against alleged ceasefire violations by India, the spokesman said it was aimed at the domestic audience.

“Resolutions passed by parliaments are...internalisation processes. Therefore, why should we have any problem with any internalisation process in any country? This is for that country to take a view on.”

Akbaruddin added: “As regards any issue of international nature, we have given our views on that. We do not see any option of any third party being involved in this. Therefore, as far as internationalisation is concerned, we are against it. As far as internalisation is concerned, this is for Pakistan to sort out itself.”

 

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