Hitting out at Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for hailing slain Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, second time within a fortnight, India today said the comments only show Islamabad’s attachment to terrorism.
"The speech by Sharif at the joint session of Parliament shows Pakistan’s continued attachment to terrorism," senior government sources said.
Nawaz Sharif described Hizbul terrorist Burhan Wani, whose encounter killing by security forces on July 8 triggered the current unrest in the Valley, as "son of the Kashmiri soil"
“Burhan Wani's sacrifice has brought Kashmir movement to a defining moment. Kashmiris have taken it upon themselves to carry on movement of freedom against Indian aggression,” Nawaz Sharif said.
Sharif, while addressing a joint session of Parliament convened to discuss the security situation in the wake of increasing Indo-Pak tensions, expressed support for Kashmiris and said the issue should be resolved according to the wishes of people of Kashmir and the UN resolutions.
Sharif urged the international community to play its role in implementing the UN resolutions on Kashmir.
"The Kashmiri youth have taken it upon themselves to carry on the movement of freedom against Indian aggression and atrocities...The death of Burhan Wani, son of the Kashmiri soil, had reminded India to give Kashmiris their right to self- determination," Sharif said.
Sharif had also raked up Kashmir issue at the UN General Assembly last month and called Wani a "young leader", evoking a strong reaction from India.
Lambasting Sharif's "glorification" of Wani in his UNGA speech, India had said hailing a "self-advertised" terrorist at the forum is "self-incrimination" by the Pakistani leader.
Sharif, in his address today, also accused India of running away from dialogue and instead creating a war-like environment by blaming Pakistan for the Uri terror attack in which 19 Indian soldiers were killed last month.
"We have done everything to make India come to the dialogue table, but India did not let it happen. Our efforts were thwarted over and over again," Sharif claimed. "Without any investigation (into Uri incident), within a few hours, India blamed Pakistan for the attack," he said.
However, he stuck to Pakistani government’s stand on surgical strikes carried out by Indian Army in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and asserted that Indian forces had not crossed LoC.
"India's ceasefire violation resulted in the death of two of our soldiers. We gave a fitting response to this, and conveyed that the Pakistan Army is fully capable and prepared to respond to any aggression," he said.
Pakistani government had called the joint session of the parliament to project a picture of unity among political parties but the boycott of the session by the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) came as a dampener.
Responding to Modi's speech last month challenging Pakistan to a contest over eradicating poverty and other social ills, Sharif said, "If they (Indian leaders) want us to fight them to end poverty, then they should realise that poverty cannot be eradicated by driving tanks on farmlands."
Sharif's comments came after last month, while speaking at a public meeting in Kerala held on the sidelines of the BJP national council meet, Prime Minister Modi had said, "I accept this challenge. I want to tell you that India wants to fight with Pakistan. If you have the courage then why not fight to end poverty, unemployment, illiteracy. Let us see which country wins, India or Pakistan."
