Talking tough to Pakistan in his first reaction to the recent tensions along the LoC, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said it could not be business as usual with Islamabad following the “barbaric beheading” of an Indian soldier.
India on Tuesday also put on hold the visa-on-arrival facility and sent home all nine Pakistani hockey players who were in India taking part in the hockey league.
The move followed brewing anger among Indian political parties over the January 8 incident when Pakistani soldiers allegedly crossed the LoC in Mendhar area of Jammu and Kashmir and killing two soldiers.
In the first public statement on the issue, Singh justified the decision to suspend visa facility, saying “after this barbaric act, there cannot be business as usual with Pakistan”.
He said, “Those responsible for this crime will have to be brought to book” and hoped “Pakistan realises this”.
When asked if Pakistan was in a denial mode on the cross-LoC attack, Singh said, “We will keep trying.”
Pressed for options, the PM said they could not be discussed in the open.
Singh later met President Pranab Mukherjee and briefed him on the situation.
He also deputed National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon to brief Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley.
VISA PUT ON HOLD:
India was to operationalise the long-delayed visa-on-arrival facility to senior citizens of Pakistan on Tuesday, but quietly put it on hold indefinitely.
The facility was to be accorded for those above 65 years crossing the Attari-Wagah border by foot.
Indian government sources said the decision was taken after several agencies sought clarifications on facilities to be offered to Pakistani citizens.
The visa-on-arrival facility under the new visa agreement between India and Pakistan signed in September 2012 was to ease cross-border travel as part of confidence building measures.
No new date has been fixed for making operational the visa-on-arrival facility.
“We will take a decision at an appropriate time,” Union Home Secretary RK Singh said.
The simmering border tension also spilled over to the sporting arena with a rattled Hockey India deciding to send back all nine Pakistani players taking part in its high-profile league.
With an apparent nudge from the government and in the midst of threatened protests by right-wing elements, Hockey India took the decision to send back the Pakistani players considering the “extraordinary circumstances”.
“After discussion with all the stakeholders, the Hockey India and Pakistan Hockey Federation have mutually decided to send them (Pakistan players) back due to an extraordinary situation which has arisen,” Hockey India Secretary General Narinder Batra told reporters.
Cricket was also not spared. Fearing trouble due to Pakistani players’ presence in the upcoming Women’s World Cup in the city, the BCCI has left it on the International Cricket Council to take a final call on the venues for the team from across the border.
The matter was discussed at the board’s all-powerful Working Committee and it was decided to convey to the ICC the situation prevailing in the country.
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said India had taken a “very firm position” on the beheading issue with Pakistan as the act was “totally unacceptable and barbaric”.
Referring to yesterday’s Flag Meeting between India and Pakistan, he said, “We may not be happy with the outcome but the process is still on.”
He indicated that engagement with Pakistan would be impacted although there would be no total freeze.
Asked whether India had set any timeline for Pakistan to act, Khurshid said, “There is no timeline. But we are actually pressing (Pakistan) very hard.”