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Pak must stop promoting terrorism or it will ‘break into pieces’: Rajnath

The defense minister was speaking at a function to felicitate families of 122 martyrs

[File] Defense Minister Rajnath Singh | PTI

Pakistan should stop promoting terrorism, otherwise no one will be able to prevent it from “breaking into pieces”, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday.

Speaking at a felicitation programme in Surat for the families of 122 soldiers who lost their lives in the line of duty, Singh also warned Pakistan that if its people cross the Line of Control, the Indian Army will not allow them to return.

“Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has given good advice to his people to not cross the Line of Control because Indian soldiers are ready and will not allow them to return,” he said.

Khan, while speaking in Muzaffarabad on Friday, had urged the Pakistani people not to march toward the Line of Control until he asks them to.

Singh also said Pakistan was unable to digest India's decision to abrogate Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and went to the United Nations to mislead it.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has created such a belief and trust in India across the world that the international community is not ready to believe what Pakistan is saying, he said.

“Our neighbouring country is unable to digest India's progress. India's reputation is growing in the international arena under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and it (Pakistan) is unable to digest it. Such powers keep looking at India like vultures,” the defence minister said.

Singh asserted that if human rights are being violated anywhere, it is happening in “our neighbouring country”.

“You can go there and see what is happening with Balochis, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jains and Buddhists... A country like this is trying to defame India by talking about human rights violations,” he said, adding that the whole world is now understanding this.

India does not believe in the politics of caste, community or religion, it believes in the politics of justice and humanity, the minister said.

“By doing the politics of religion, they (British rulers) divided India into two pieces. But you must have seen that during 1971, Pakistan, which was made on the basis of religion, was broken into two pieces. And if this kind of politics goes on, no one in the world will be able to stop Pakistan from breaking into pieces,” he asserted.

Singh said no one would need to break Pakistan as it would disintegrate itself.

It broke into two pieces earlier, and the way it is treating its minorities―Balochis, Sindhis and Pashtuns―no one can say when Pakistan will break into pieces again, he said.

“The way Pakistan is promoting terrorism, it should stop doing so, otherwise no one can stop it from further breaking into pieces in future,” Singh said.

India's minority population has increased after independence, while rights violations keep taking place in Pakistan against Sikhs, Buddhists and others, he said.

India's minorities were safe, are safe, and will remain safe, he said, adding that India does not divide people on basis of caste or religion.

The programme for the families of the fallen soldiers was organised by Maruti Vir Jawan Trust.

The Maruti Vir Jawan Trust gave financial assistance of Rs 2.5 lakh to each of the 122 families.