India on Friday warned Pakistan not to interfere in its internal affairs and stop supporting terrorists. It reiterated in clear-cut terms that “the entire State of Jammu and Kashmir, including the territory under illegal occupation of Pakistan, is and shall always be an integral part of India.”
A resolution to this effect was unanimously adopted in both Houses of Parliament as a befitting reply to the motion of Pakistan’s National Assembly on Thursday that condemned the hanging of Parliament attack-case convict Afzal Guru and demanded his body be handed over to his family (the body was buried in the Tihar Jail on February 9 after the hanging).
The resolution, moved by Lok Speaker Meira Kumar and Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari in their respective Houses, read: “This House totally rejects the Resolution passed by the National Assembly of Pakistan on March 14, 2013. The House notes that Pakistan has committed that it would not allow its territory to be used for terrorism against India and only fulfilment of this commitment can be the basis for peaceful relations with Pakistan.
“The House rejects interference in the internal affairs of India and calls upon the National Assembly of Pakistan to desist from such acts of support for extremist and terrorist elements. Any attempt from any quarter to interfere in the internal affairs of India will be met resolutely and with complete unity of our nation,” it said.
Earlier, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath told the Lok Sabha that the issue was related to the “nation’s sovereignty and integrity and all of us are deeply concerned” with Pakistan’s resolution.
In the National Assembly, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam president Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who heads a special parliamentary panel on Kashmir, moved the resolution. It expressed “concern” at the situation created in Jammu and Kashmir by the execution (of Guru).
Earlier, speaking on the issue in the Lok Sabha, Yashwant Sinha (BJP) wanted a resolution to be passed in the House to give a befitting reply to Pakistan.
The Pakistan resolution was nothing but an attempt to provoke the people of Jammu and Kashmir, which was an integral part of India, he said.
Jaitley’s demand
In the Rajya Sabha, Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley asked the government to reconsider its engagements with Pakistan in the light of the latest resolution.
“Besides being interference in India’s internal affairs, it is an official statement which comes from the combined polity of Pakistan. So far, we had wondered who was really in control of the state, their army, their ISI, a civilian government or non-state actors. But with yesterday’s [Thursday] resolution, all these distinctions have been obliterated.”
It was an official stamp of approval on one of the worst terror attacks that took place in India. “So far, we have always alleged, and there was evidence to suggest, that for an attack on the Indian Parliament, planning was done across the border but yesterday’s [Thursday] resolution seems to have confirmed our worst fears because the polity of the country unanimously condones that action by actually condemning our action in sentencing, through a rule of law, the person who was involved in this.”
India should consider how to deal with Pakistan now. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had, in the past, been very magnanimous to say that he was willing to walk an extra mile.
“After a series of these provocations [like blasts and terrorist attacks in India], we would like to urge him that forget a mile, he should now forget walking even an extra yard. Pakistan does not deserve this. As long as this resolution remains, the question of a continued dialogue with Pakistan, which is approving of sympathy for terrorist attacks in India, I think, we should seriously forget discussing any serious issue with them through a structured dialogue. Therefore, Pakistan will now have to walk extra two miles rather than our PM wanting to walk an extra mile,” he said.
Mr. Jaitley also charged that there was something serious with the way matters in the country’s external affairs were handled in view of India’s latest relations with Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
Ravi Shankar Prasad (BJP) wanted “a very structured response from the government” on the “sinister resolution” of Pakistan’s National Assembly. He said this was a serious matter.
