SIALKOT: During the first ever visit to the Working Boundary near Sialkot by a parliamentary panel, Senator Mushahid Hussain called on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to strongly protest the unprovoked Indian shelling on Pakistani civilians at the SAARC conference in Kathmandu, Nepal, next week.
The Senate committee on defence visited villages along the Working Boundary which have suffered from recent border violations by India. The visit is a first by any parliamentary panel.
The committee received a detailed, two-hour briefing on Indian aggression across the 193-kilometre working boundary, which raised tensions across the Indo-Pakistan border of 1,187 kilometres in Punjab from Rangers DG Major General Khan Tahir.
According to a statement, Hussain said that since the Modi regime had taken over, there had been a distinct change in the tone, language, actions and attitude of India, terming it "aggressive and hawkish reflecting an anti-Pakistan mindset rooted in religious extremism."
While condemning the immature and irresponsible statements of Modi and his cabinet ministers regarding Pakistan, Hussain said such harsh language was followed up by equally harsh actions like lobbing a record 31,872 mortar shells at Pakistan in October –higher than the number of mortars fired by India on Pakistan during the entire 1971 war.
Of his visit, the Senator said they had witnessed “nothing short of state terrorism of India, directly targeted civilians resulting in 12 martyrs and 38 wounded.”
“India heating up the Eastern border of Pakistan weakens and undermines Pakistan's campaign against terrorism which the Pakistan Army is so valiantly and relentlessly waging on its Western border.”
Hussain, along with Senator Mohsin Leghari toured the affected villages, which include Dhamala, which is just 60 meters from the nearest Indian military post.
The committee members also met officials of Pakistan Rangers and appreciated their resolve.
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'Of his visit, the Senator said they had witnessed “nothing short of state terrorism of India, directly targeted civilians resulting in 12 martyrs and 38 wounded.”'
The whole issue started when Pakistan shot dead 5 civilians across the international boundary. Defending one's country and responding to aggression is not called terrorism in any definition of the term.
"According to a statement, Hussain said that since the Modi regime had taken over, there had been a distinct change in the tone, language, actions and attitude of India, terming it ‘aggressive and hawkish reflecting an anti-Pakistan mindset rooted in religious extremism’."
Yes indeed there has been a distinct change. It is not rooted in religious extremism (remember there are 180 million Muslims in India also including Indian armed forces). It is rooted in confident and assertive national interest. India will never start aggression. Howeven unlike Manmohan Singh's government, Modi government will not sue for peace when Pakistan attacks. It will give a robust response.