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New Delhi: Describing Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden’s elimination as the high point in the global war on terrorism, the BJP on Wednesday suggested New Delhi revisit its policies on Pakistan and reiterated that terror and talks can’t go along hand in hand.
The core group of the party — which met on Wednesday to take stock of recent developments in the country and abroad — said the fact that Osama was housed in a mansion close to a Pakistani military academy establishes that the neighbouring country is the epicentre of global terrorism and was harbouring the most wanted international terrorist.
“Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the UPA Government need to introspect upon their policy towards Pakistan. Talks and terror cannot co-exist,” Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley told reporters after the meeting.
The Opposition leader asked the Prime Minister to take note of the fact that the entire world has now realized that Pakistan was a sponsor and user of terror and not its victim.
“Pakistan has not been honest in its commitment that its territory will not be and is not being used for terror. The world has realized this reality. We urge the Government of India also sees reason in it,” Jaitley said.
The senior BJP leader maintained that India’s legitimate concern that those who have perpetrated terror in India were also housed comfortably in Pakistan was no longer in doubt and said the neighbouring country can no longer claim that it is a victim of terror. “Those who use terrorism as an instrument of state policy will always suffer due to their duplicity,” he added.
The BJP reiterated its stand that the basis of talks with Pakistan should be the January 2004 agreement between the then Prime Minister AB Vajpayee and President Pervez Musharraf that Pakistan will not allow its soil to be used for supporting terrorism against India.
The core group of the party — which met on Wednesday to take stock of recent developments in the country and abroad — said the fact that Osama was housed in a mansion close to a Pakistani military academy establishes that the neighbouring country is the epicentre of global terrorism and was harbouring the most wanted international terrorist.
“Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the UPA Government need to introspect upon their policy towards Pakistan. Talks and terror cannot co-exist,” Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley told reporters after the meeting.
The Opposition leader asked the Prime Minister to take note of the fact that the entire world has now realized that Pakistan was a sponsor and user of terror and not its victim.
“Pakistan has not been honest in its commitment that its territory will not be and is not being used for terror. The world has realized this reality. We urge the Government of India also sees reason in it,” Jaitley said.
The senior BJP leader maintained that India’s legitimate concern that those who have perpetrated terror in India were also housed comfortably in Pakistan was no longer in doubt and said the neighbouring country can no longer claim that it is a victim of terror. “Those who use terrorism as an instrument of state policy will always suffer due to their duplicity,” he added.
The BJP reiterated its stand that the basis of talks with Pakistan should be the January 2004 agreement between the then Prime Minister AB Vajpayee and President Pervez Musharraf that Pakistan will not allow its soil to be used for supporting terrorism against India.
