DON’T REPEAT MISTAKES OF 1965 AND 1971, RAJNATH WARNS PAKISTAN

PATNA: Warning Pakistan to not repeat the “mistakes of 1965 and 1971”, Union defence minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said the neighbouring country can get dismantled into various parts on account of flagrant human rights violations against Balochs and Pashtuns on its soil. Article 370 was like a “canker” that bled Jammu and Kashmir, Singh said, asserting that a majority of population in the erstwhile state supported its abrogation. Addressing a “Jan Jagran Sabha” (public awareness meet) organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party here, where leaders spoke on the Narendra Modi government’s move to strip J&K of the special status, Singh said his party has lived up to its promises. “You can see they’re already getting discouraged. Pakistan PM comes to POK and suggests Pakistanis not to go to the border. It’s good because if they come, they’ll not be able to go back to Pakistan. They should not commit the mistake of repeating 1965 and 1971,” said Singh. “As a nationalist party, the BJP never softened its stand on the issue. Article 370 was like a canker (nasoor) which left J&K bleeding. We have now demonstrated that we are an honest and credible party which fulfils its promises,” Singh said.