New Delhi, Mar 15 : India should seriously forget normalising ties with Pakistan and walking even an “extra inch”, BJP said today, as it slammed the Government's foreign policy over the way the country was being “kicked” around.
Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley made these hard hitting remarks in the House while criticising Pakistan National Assembly's resolution yesterday condemning the hanging of Afzal Guru, saying it gave stamp of approval on the terror attack on Indian Parliament.
Jaitley asked the government to reconsider its engagements with Pakistan in the light of the resolution.
“Besides interfering in India's internal affairs, the resolution is an official statement by the entire polity of Pakistan endorsing the terrorist attacks,” Jaitley said, raising the issue before a resolution rejecting Pakistan Parliament's resolution was passed.
New Delhi, he said, always suspected the hand of Pakistan in the 2001 Parliament attack. “Yesterday's resolution seems to have confirmed our fears,” he said.
Jaitely said the resolution was “an official stamp of approval on one of the worst terrorist attacks.”
“Government of India will have to seriously consider how to deal with Pakistan,” he said, adding, “As long as this resolution remains, we should seriously forget normalising ties.”
He said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been talking manganimously about walking an extra mile in normalising ties with Pakistan but after yesterday's resolution, he should “forget walking even an extra inch.” “On the contrary, Pakistan should now go the extra two miles for us to resume normal relations”
“Yesterday's resolution seems to have confirmed our fears” that the attacks were planned and executed by Pakistan, he said, adding, “Normalisation of relationship would not be possible.”
Attacking UPA government's foreign policy, he also cited “failures” in Male.
“Whether it is Islamabad, Male or Rome, I think we seriously need to discuss our foreign policy and where it is leading us because if Indian can be kicked around in this manner internationally then there is something seriously wrong with the manner in which external affairs is run,” he said.
