Condemning the terror strike by Pakistani militants in Pathankot, hardline Hindu nationalist party Shiv Sena on Saturday said that “terror and peace talks (with Pakistan) can’t go simultaneously” as it expressed concern that the attack happened within a week of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s unscheduled visit to Lahore.
“Whenever there is an attack on us, there is no need to say who is behind it. We can say with eyes closed that attackers are from Pakistan,” Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut said.
In a pre-dawn attack, a group of heavily-armed terrorists, suspected to belong to Jaish-e-Mohammed outfit, struck at an Air Force base in Pathankot in Indian Punjab. In the ensuing gunbattle, three security personnel were killed along with four attackers.
Noting that the attack took place after the PM’s unscheduled stopover in Lahore last week, Raut said, “We don’t want to play politics, but it’s a fact that bilateral peace talks and terror attacks are taking place simultaneously. This won’t do.”
Peace talks and terror cannot go together and this has been Sena’s stance from the beginning, said Raut, whose party is a key ally of the BJP and part of the NDA government at the Centre.
“Just saying that such attacks will invite befitting reply from India won’t suffice. The Union home minister is a serious person and we respect him. But when will we give befitting response to Pakistan,” Raut asked.
Raut’s remark came in the wake of Home Minister Rajnath Singh saying India would hit back hard if there was any terror strike on its soil.