Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Friday appeared to confirm a report in The Guardian that New Delhi had killed terrorists inside Pakistan, asserting India would enter the neighbouring country to kill any terrorist who took refuge there after carrying out strikes here.
Singh’s assertion came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi told an election rally that today’s India thrashes its enemies "inside their homes" — a plank that had helped the BJP during the last general election.
In an interview with CNN News18, Singh was asked about the report in The Guardian newspaper that said India had killed as many as 20 terrorists inside Pakistan in recent years.
“If any terrorist from our neighbouring country tries to disturb India, and conduct terrorist activity here, we will give a fitting reply. If he escapes into Pakistan, we will enter Pakistan and kill him,” Singh said.
Asked whether he was essentially repeating what Modi had said about India no longer standing and watching while terrorists attacked the country, Singh said he was.
“Yes, what he said is absolutely correct. We have the capability and Pakistan has also begun understanding this,” Singh said.
“India wants to maintain good relations with all its neighbours. India has never attacked any country ever nor have we ever tried to take an inch of any country. That is our character. But if a country constantly needles us, enters India and promotes terrorism here, it will have to pay a price.”
India’s external affairs ministry, however, did not reply to queries on the British newspaper’s report.
In January, when Pakistan’s foreign secretary claimed Islamabad had credible evidence of links between Indian agents and the assassination of two Pakistanis alleged to be associated with banned terrorist groups, the ministry had rejected the charge.
The ministry’s official spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, had at the time described the accusation as Pakistan’s latest attempt at peddling false and malicious anti-India propaganda.
“As the world knows, Pakistan has long been the epicentre of terrorism, organised crime, and illegal transnational activities,” Jaiswal had said.
