Venkaiah Naidu warns Pakistan over terror, recalls 1971 war
Naidu had resigned from both the Cabinet and the party to contest the vice-presidential polls.
New Delhi: NDA vice-presidential candidate Venkaiah Naidu has warned Pakistan against continuing to support terror and asked it to recall what happened in 1971. In the 14-day war that ensued in December that year, the Pakistan Army suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of India, leading to the liberation of the erstwhile East Pakistan which became Bangladesh.
“Terrorism is the enemy of humanity, it has no religion. It has unfortunately become Pakistan’s state policy,” Mr Naidu was quoted by a news agency as saying. “Our neighbour should understand that aiding and abetting terror will not help them, they should recall what happened in 1971,” he said, while speaking at the “Kargil Parakram Parade” in New Delhi. The event was organised to honour the Kargil martyrs. “We are peace loving people, we never attacked any country and this is our speciality. We don’t want war, we don’t want confrontation, we don’t want violence, we want to have peace, we also want to have good relationships with the neighbours, but they should also reciprocate the same. They should remember that Kashmir is an integral part of India and not an inch of even PoK will be allowed to be taken by anybody,” he was quoted as saying. “Dissent is agreeable but disintegration is not at all acceptable,” Mr Naidu added.
The comment follows the deterioration in ties between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, with the Pakistan Army continuing its policy of pushing in terrorists into J&K from across the LoC.
Mr Naidu, till recently the information and broadcasting minister in the Union Cabinet and a senior BJP leader, had resigned from both the Cabinet and the party to contest the vice-presidential polls. The NDA had announced his selection as its candidate for the polls.