New Delhi: Nearly 100 Pakistanis staged a protest against the visit of Home Minister Rajnath Singh here to participate the SAARC Interior Ministers' Conference. Singh, who arrived here this evening, was flown to the Serena Hotel in a helicopter as a precautionary measure.
Rajnath Singh is expected to raise the issue of most wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim and cross border terrorism during the conference.
The protesters, believed to be belonging to a few radical groups, staged the protest in front of the hotel, where Singh is staying.
Security personnel were deployed in large numbers surrounding the hotel where the conference will also take place.
LeT founder Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen Chief Syed Salahuddin had warned of a nationwide protest if Singh arrives in Islamabad to attend the SAARC ministerial conference which would be inaugurated by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
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."
Looking forward to underscore the imperative of meaningful cooperation within the region against terrorism and organised crime.
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) August 3, 2016
Leaving for Islamabad to attend the SAARC HM Conference. This Conference provides a platform to discuss issues pertaining to security.
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) August 3, 2016
"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.
Read: Crowds rally in Pakistan against visit of Rajnath Singh for SAARC summit
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.
Read: Hafiz Saeed warns of nationwide protests ‘if Rajnath Singh visits Pakistan’
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.
