New Delhi, Mar 17: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said no power in the world can take Kashmir away from India and if required, forces are capable of crossing the border to protect the country’s territorial integrity.
Making it clear that Jammu and Kashmir will remain an integral part of India, Singh said the Narendra Modi government wants a permanent solution to the Kashmir issue and the interlocutor appointed by it was ready to talk to anyone who is willing to have a dialogue.
“We not only secure India internally but can also cross border, if needed, to protect the country,” he said at the News18 Rising India summit.
The Home minister said India wants to maintain friendly relations with Pakistan but that country was not keen for it, and was rather giving “political legitimacy” to LeT founder and 26/11 Mumbai terror attack “mastermind” Hafiz Saeed.
“Pakistan is now providing political legitimacy to a UN designated terrorist. Hafiz Saeed is now allowed to form a political party, he will contest elections and go to Parliament. Haqqani Network, which is responsible for killings of scores of people are being abetted and given protection. It is shocking,” he said.
Singh, however, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has achieved huge success in taking the fight against terrorism on international forums. “Earlier nobody talked against Pakistan’s terrorism, now the US has also condemned Pakistan,” he said.
Referring to the appointment of the interlocutor, former Intelligence Bureau chief Dineshwar Sharma, on the Kashmir issue, the Home minister said the interlocutor would talk to everyone who was keen for dialogue.
He said despite Pakistan’s best efforts, Kashmir would never be separated from India.
“Kashmir was with India, Kashmir is with India and Kashmir will remain with India forever,” he said.
Singh said Kashmir’s children were like his own and would not allow anyone to radicalise them.
“I want to tell those who are trying to teach jihad to innocent Kashmiri youths that they should first learn the real concept of jihad in Islam,” he said.
The minister said he had personally asked Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to ignore cases filed against the first-time stone-pelters.
Earlier in 2018, the State government withdrew cases registered against 9,730 people involved in stone-pelting incidents, including first-time offenders.
“We have forgiven first-time stone-pelters. They might have been influenced by others. They are young. We need to give them a second chance,” he said.
