The Defence Minister was on this day attending the 12th South Asia Conference on 'India's Neighbourhood First Policy: Regional Perceptions' in New Delhi
Union Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh on Tuesday laid down a barrage of verbal assaults against Pakistan, highlighting that the Islamic Republic has been consistently using terrorism as a 'state policy' towards India and is not interested in a peaceful settlement of disputes through dialogue. He sternly insisted that Pakistan must take immediate action against the terror outfits operating in the country.
The Defence Minister was on this day attending the 12th South Asia Conference on 'India's Neighbourhood First Policy: Regional Perceptions' in New Delhi, where he highlighted that India has recognised the 'Neighbourhood First' policy as its most important foreign policy.
Further, Rajnath Singh said that India has clarified it repeatedly that diplomatic talks and terrorism cannot go hand-in-hand.
"A neighbouring nation has preferred to use terrorism as a state policy towards India, rather than a peaceful settlement of disputes through dialogue. Use of terror as an instrument of its foreign and security policy has promoted radicalism and terrorism in the region. We have made it clear that talks and terror cannot go together and that Pakistan must take demonstrable steps against terror groups responsible for launching various attacks on India from its soil," the Union Defence Minister said.
He concluded by putting a historical perspective of the entire South Asian region. "South Asia today is at a critical juncture of history. We should not hold regional prosperity hostage to the interests of states who are obstructing all efforts aimed at regional cooperation. Our intra-regional trade has been abysmally low. We have to transcend these limitations," he said.
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 "Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at the 12th South Asia Conference on 'India's Neighbourhood First Policy: Regional Perceptions'")
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