NEW DELHI: Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday criticised the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for appointing Pakistan as the vice-chair of its counter-terrorism panel. Singh said this decision is similar to “making the cat guard the milk” as Pakistan has a known history of protecting and supporting terrorists.“What is astonishing is that this Counter-Terrorism panel, was formed after the 9/11 terror attacks. Pakistan had sheltered the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. This (decision) is akin to cat guarding the milk,” Singh said.At an event in Dehradun, Singh said Pakistan has supported terrorism for many years and described Operation Sindoor, which was carried out in response to the Pahalgam attack, as the “biggest action” against terrorism in India’s history.Singh pointed out that both India and Pakistan became independent at the same time, but while India is now seen as the “mother of democracy”, Pakistan has gained the label of “father of global terrorism”. He said this comparison should be kept in mind.Singh also said Pakistan is “stubborn” and needs to be dealt with using “strategic, diplomatic and economic pressure” from the global community to stop terrorism from its land.“Pakistan has always given shelter to terrorists, trained them on its soil and helped them. Pahalgam (attack) was just an example, but I want to tell you that list of Pakistan-aided terrorists is very long. And, Pakistan always tries to justify terrorism. So, it is important that we eliminate not just these terrorists but the entire terror infrastructure that aids them,” he said.He added that Pakistan has not been able to stop development in Kashmir despite efforts.“Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway link is a shining example of the government’s relentless pursuit of progress in Jammu & Kashmir. Soon, PoK will join us and say ‘I, too, am Bharat’,” he said.
Calling terrorism a problem for humanity and a global issue, Singh said that no society should accept it.He also mentioned that some people glorify terrorists as “freedom fighters” and said, “no revolution is born out of the womb of terrorism, it only engenders destruction and hatred”.Singh further stated that “No religious, ideological or political reason can justify terrorism. No human objective can ever be achieved through bloodshed and violence.”He said Pakistan supports terrorism and a large portion of its foreign aid is used to fund this support.“Funding Pakistan means funding the infrastructure of terrorism. Pakistan is a nursery of terrorism. It should not be nourished,” he said, asking other countries to stop giving money to Pakistan.Singh said that Pakistan’s land has been a shelter for global terror groups. He named terrorists like Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar who move freely there, and added that even senior officers of the Pakistan Army have attended terrorists’ funerals.“Now, the same country is expected to lead the global community against terrorism. This raises serious questions on the intentions and policies of the international system,” he said.Singh urged the international community and organisations like the UN to take the issue of terrorism seriously. He said, “Only when we are free from terrorism, will we be able to move towards the goal of global peace, progress and prosperity.”
