Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday asked Pakistan to end the atmosphere of terror along the border, saying that New Delhi wants to maintain friendly relations with the neighbouring country.
"Pakistan should ponder as to how long this atmosphere of terror ('dehshat gardi ki mahol) will continue. I want to ask Pakistan, how long do you want to keep the border red with terrorism? It must come to an end," Singh said at a BSF function at a border crossing point between India and Pakistan near Amritsar in Punjab.
The Home Minister even recalled former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's statement saying one can change his or her friend but not neighbours and that is the reason why the NDA government wanted friendly relations with Pakistan.
Lauding Vajpayee's peace initiative with the neighbouring country in the late 90s, Singh said this was the same Wagah-Attari border from where the former prime minister had started his peace initiative with Pakistan, PTI reported.
"Vajpayee had offered the hand of friendship to Pakistan. He not only wanted friendly relations with Pakistan but heart-to-heart relations between the people of the two countries.
"But what did we get in return? Kargil war," he said.
Singh even hailed the role of BSF in guarding the border with Pakistan and said that whenever required, the border guarding force has responded suitably to any challenge.
He said that the government is preparing a comprehensive plan for ensuring foolproof security along the Indo-Pak border.
The Home Minister also said that Indian security forces were powerful enough to give a fitting reply to any terror attack, as it had just done in the Kathua and Samba areas of Jammu and Kashmir.
Talking to reporters here, Singh said, "Jawans of our paramilitary forces have given fitting reply to two terrorists in Samba and a similar number in Kathua were shot dead."
Talking about enhancing trade ties between India and Pakistan, he said, "There is a dire need to set up full body scanners at the Integrated Check Post, which would also be helpful in stopping drug smuggling from Pakistan to India. The scanner will be installed on the Indo-Pakistan border as early as possible within a stipulated time frame."
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