‘Pak must become secular like India for lasting peace’
Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat on Friday fired the latest salvo in the ongoing verbal exchange between India and Pakistan, saying India had a clear policy that terror and talks can’t go together, and that the neighbour should strive to be secular rather than an Islamic if it wanted better relations.
Rawat’s remarks came a day after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said he was prepared to wait until after India’s general election in 2019 for any sort of forward movement in bilateral relations but stressed that the push for peace can’t be one-sided. He also acknowledged that it was not in Pakistan’s interest to allow its soil to be used for terrorism and said he was prepared to talk to Narendra Modi at any time.
“We are a secular state. If they’re willing to become secular like us, then they seem to have an opportunity for engagement ,” the Indian army chief told journalists on the sidelines of the passing-out parade of cadets from the 135th course at the National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla.
When asked about Khan’s statement that Pakistan will respond with two steps that for every step India takes towards peace, Rawat said: “There is a contradiction in what they are saying. One step from there should come in a positive manner, we will see if the step has effect on the ground. Till then, our nation has a clear policy: Terror and talks can’t go together.”
His comments were the latest in a verbal exchange between the nuclear-armed nations which has seen Pakistan expressing an inclination for greater engagement with India in the wake of the neighbours deciding to build a corridor for Sikh pilgrims to travel visa-free to visit the Kartarpur shrine in Pakistan that marks the final resting place of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism.
Foreign minister Sushma Swaraj’s said on Wednesday that “The moment Pakistan stops terror activity against India, talks can begin.”
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) froze preparations for boxing at the 2020 Games on Friday and launched a probe into the sport’s troubled governing body, warning that it could be stripped of the ability to organise the competition.
The IOC stressed that it still wanted boxing to go ahead at Tokyo 2020, but said its inquiry into the International Boxing Association (AIBA) “can lead to withdrawal of (its) recognition”.
But the IOC said it would make “all efforts to protect the athletes and ensure that a boxing tournament can take place at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 regardless of these measures”.
AIBA last month elected as president controversial Uzbek businessman Gafur Rakhimov, who has been linked to organised crime by the US Treasury Department — a claim that he strenuously denies.
Relations between the IOC and AIBA took a dive at the 2016 Rio Olympics when 36 officials and referees were suspended amid allegations of bout fixing.
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