Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Even when Pakistan repeatedly breaches ceasefire at the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, and provides refuge to Lashkar-e-Taiba and its head Hafiz Saeed who spew venom against India, Minister of External Affairs, Salman Khurshid, maintains that it is necessary not to get swayed by emotions and give peace a chance.
Khurshid, in a candid chat with Swati Chaturvedi of Zeenews.com on her show Kahiye Janab, reiterated that war isn’t the answer to problems faced with Pakistan and emphasised on the need for amicable relations with the troublesome neighbour.
On being asked as to when, if at all, the government would take action against anti-India elements mushrooming in Pakistan, Khurshid said, “Our intelligence and preparation is far better than what it used to be. We have even brought the perpetrators of such acts to justice. Both (India and Pakistan) and nuclear nations, do we jeopardise the future generations just for a show of strength?”
US ‘smoked Osama out of Pakistan’s Abbotabad’; but hate-mongers like Hafiz Saeed continue to ply their trade from Pakistan. When asked why India cannot launch a ‘US-like’ offensive against Saeed, Khurshid said, “Can we ever forget Mahatma Gandhi and his principle of non-violence? We cannot overlook it just because someone has hurt us. India doesn’t want to become like the ‘nations’ that attack and capture other countries. And the world appreciates this stance of our’s.”
“We, as a nation, have always preached non-interference, non-alignment. Do we keep all that aside and go on the offensive? Once taken, such steps are irretraceable,” he added.
When asked if Khurshid too agreed with former US secretary of state Madeleine Albright who had once remarked that Pakistan was the “world’s migraine,” he said, “If the neighbour is at trouble then it is more like a ‘heartache’ than ‘migraine.’ We need to protect both ourselves and our ‘health’.”
“In Pakistan, there is every day and attack or two. I cannot advise them but it looks like their actions have backfired on them. Stability in Pakistan is good news for us,” Khurshid said.
Much like Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize, it seems as though Prime Minister Manmohan Singh too harbours a ‘dream’ of leaving behind peace with Pakistan as his legacy. Commenting on it, he said, “Even if PM has such a dream—it shouldn’t be seen in connection with the award. The thought behind it is to leave the future generations with a better situation than the one at hand. Obama’s award was in recognition of the ‘hope’ he brought to the condition in Afghanistan, when all seemed lost. If PM is trying to light a ‘lamp in the dark’ it is our duty to help him realise this dream.”
First Published: Saturday, January 26, 2013, 21:57