Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday said Pakistan was scared of India and if it dared fire bullets on Indian territory, the country would retaliate with artillery fire.

Shah’s invocation of Pakistan in the Jammu and Kashmir election campaign came two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi set the pattern.

“Do you remember how much (cross-border) firing took place in the 1990s? Do the elderly (among you) remember that? Is it happening now?” Shah said at an election rally in Jammu’s Poonch region.

“It (firing) used to happen because the masters here were scared of Pakistan. Today Pakistan is scared of Narendra Modi. They do not dare to fire. But if they do, their goli (bullets) will be met with gola (artillery shells).”

India and Pakistan have a ceasefire agreement on the Line of Control that largely holds. But Pakistan has pushed a large number of militants into the Jammu region, and they have killed dozens of people this year.

The Jammu region has witnessed a militancy revival since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 but there has been a spurt since the June 9 swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Modi. Officials said 19 security force personnel, 10 civilians and 23 militants have died during this period in Jammu and Kashmir.

Shah, however, claimed that militancy had been wiped out from Jammu and Kashmir. Modi had on Thursday claimed that Pakistan was doing a “balle balle” (celebrating) over the purported Congress-National Conference agenda of restoring Article 370.

“In Pakistan, there is balle balle for the Congress-National Conference alliance. Pakistan looks very happy with their manifesto,” Modi had said at a poll rally in Katra, Jammu.

“Pakistan’s defence minister has openly supported the Congress-NC manifesto. He says the agenda of the Congress and the NC on Article 370 is the same as that of Pakistan.”

The NC manifesto vows to restore Article 370 but the Congress manifesto is silent on the subject.

Shah on Saturday accused the Congress, NC and the People’s Democratic Party of patronising militancy in Jammu and Kashmir.

“These three families (that head the three parties) failed to stop terrorism and, in fact, encouraged it. Today, Narendra Modi’s BJP has put an end to terrorism; it has put laptops in the hands of the youth in the place of arms,” he said.

“(Former NC chief minister) Omar Abdullah is scaring you, coming here (Jammu) and saying that Jammu will witness terrorism. Mr Abullah, no matter how much you patronise it... I am saying this in these mountains that there is our government at the Centre. I am the home minister and Narendra Modi is Prime Minister. We will not allow terrorism enter these beautiful valleys.”

Omar and other Opposition politicians have blamed the BJP’s policies for the revival of militancy in Jammu. Farooq Abdullah recently termed the BJP a Pakistani agent, alluding to its act of releasing separatist leaders from jail to contest elections.

Shah said militancy does not benefit anyone. “Guns were handed over to our children and we too will be providing guns to the Pahari youth by recruiting them to the police and the army. For that, we will hold a special recruitment drive on the borders,” he said.

Shah added: “The people of the nation salute the Paharis, Gujjars and Bakerwals who safeguarded the borders in 1947 and took bullets in the chest when terrorism erupted in 1990 because of the kindness of Farooq Abdullah, who fled to London to enjoy a holiday,” he said.