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SAARC 2016: Rajnath arrives in Pakistan, Hizbul chief leads protest against him in Islamabad

Singh, in his speech at the two-day meeting, is expected to raise the issue of Pakistan's support to terror groups operating in India and ask Islamabad to check terrorist organisations.

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Syed Salahuddin and Rajnath Singh
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Issues related to most wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim and cross-border terrorism are likely to be the focus of Home Minister Rajnath Singh at the SAARC Interior/Home Ministers' meet tomorrow during which he will underline meaningful cooperation among the South Asian countries. 

Before leaving for Islamabad to attend the SAARC Home Ministers' Conference, he tweeted that he was "looking forward to underscore the imperative of meaningful cooperation within the region against terrorism and organised crime." "This Conference provides a platform to discuss issues pertaining to security," said Singh, who is expected to tell Pakistan to stop sponsoring terror in India and rein in groups like Lashker-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.

It was not immediately clear whether Singh will meet his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan separately due to sudden strain in India-Pakistan relations after Islamabad glorified the death of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani.

However, the Home Minister, in his speech at the SAARC meeting, is expected to raise the issue of Pakistan's support to Ibrahim and to terror groups operating in India and ask Islamabad to check Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and other groups based in that country.

Singh is undertaking the visit notwithstanding threat by LeT founder Hafiz Saeed, who warned of a countrywide protest in Pakistan by his outfit if Singh arrives in Islamabad to attend the SAARC ministerial conference.

Singh's visit comes in the backdrop of growing strain in Indo-Pak ties after Pakistan and its Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif made provocative statements on the Kashmir situation in the wake of Wani's killing on July 8. Wani was a wanted terrorist of banned Hizbul Mujahideen.

Sharif not only praised Wani but he also remarked that "Kashmir will one day become Pakistan", a comment which evoked a sharp reaction from External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who said his dream of the state becoming a part of his country "will not be realised even at the end of eternity".

Singh is also likely to raise the issue of fake Indian currency notes being circulated at the behest of Pakistani agencies, sources said.

Apart from terrorism, other key issues to be discussed include liberalisation of visa, illegal trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and small arms and how to make coordinated and concerted efforts to combat such menace.

The three-tier meeting began at the joint secretary-level and then moved on to Secretary and Home Minister-level meetings.

The meeting will also focus on strengthening networking among police authorities of SAARC member-countries and also enhance information-sharing among law enforcement agencies.

. Meanwhile in Pakistan, Syed Salahuddin led a protest against the Home Minister in Islamabad.

The meeting will formulate recommendations for the Interior Ministers of the Association which is scheduled to be held in Islamabad on Thursday. Pakistan’s Interior Secretary Arif Ali Khan has been elected as Chairman of the meeting of SAARC Interior Secretaries, who is presiding over the meeting, reports Radio Pakistan.

Singh, in his speech at the two-day meeting, is expected to raise the issue of Pakistan's support to terror groups operating in India and ask Islamabad to check Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and other groups based in that country.

The ministry of External Affairs had already made it clear there would be no bilateral meeting between the Home Minister and the Pakistani leaders.

The visit comes in the backdrop of growing strain in the bilateral relations after Pakistan and its Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif made provocative statements on the Kashmir situation in the wake of a militant's killing on July 8.

At the 13th SAARC Summit held in Dhaka in November 2005, the Heads of State decided that the SAARC Interior/Home Ministers would meet annually preceded by a meeting of the Interior/Home Secretaries to strengthen cooperation in the area of counter-terrorism, which they agreed was a challenge to all states and a threat to humanity, and could not be justified on any grounds.

The first meeting of SAARC Interior/Home Ministers was held in Dhaka on May 11, 2006, followed by a meeting in New Delhi in 2007.

Congress asks Pakistan to raise terrorism issue

The Congress on Wednesday asked Pakistan to raise the issue of state sponsored terrorism during the seventh SAARC Home/Interior Ministers meeting in Islamabad. ‘Whether it is Udhampur, whether it is Gurdaspur, whether it is Pompore or whether it is other attack including Pathankot’all these issues need to be raised. State sponsored terrorism of Pakistan needs to be checked. Their Home Minister must raise these issues along with other SAARC nations,’ Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told ANI. 


Surjewala said Pakistan is exporting terror into India every day, adding that Islamabad has the active abetment protection and active role played by various agencies like the ISI and Pakistan military.
‘Modi ji went especially to meet Nawaz Sharif and attended marriage celebrations. After that, we had Pathankot terror attack. We called a committee from Pakistan operatives of the dreaded ISI. But Pakistan never gave us access to interrogate terrorists, who were operating under active protection from Pakistani soil,’ he added.

RJD says dialogue with Pakistan key 

Asserting that dialogue with Pakistan was the key to maintaining peace in South Asia, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Wednesday welcomed Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to Islamabad to attend SAARC Home/Interior Ministers meeting. RJD spokesperson Manoj Jha said that the Home Minster should strongly put forth India’s interests and state it clearly that brewing unrest in India is not acceptable.

‘We welcome it and maintain that in order to have a peaceful and prosperous South Asia, we need to have continuous dialogue with Pakistan. Pakistan was part of us. We have a common civilization heritage. Our only problem with Pakistan is on account of huge democratic deficient in Pakistan,’ Jha told ANI.

Jha also said that there is always confusion as to whom to speak to in Pakistan, whether it is the elected government or the military establishment.

‘It is very important for our Home Minister Rajnath Singh to put across his views. We are open for dialogue, but not at the cost of Kashmir, not at the cost of while we raise a hand for the hand shake and you try to shake our entire nation. This is unacceptable,’ he added.

With inputs from ANI 

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