Trust in Pakistan in fighting terrorism completely shaken': Rajnath Singh
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said his trust in Pakistan on the issue of fighting terrorism has been "completely shaken" as the kind of support which India expected from it was not coming.
As the Modi government completed two years in office, Singh also made it clear that not allowing an NIA team to probe the Pathankot terror strike will amount to "betrayal".
In interviews to news channels, the Home Minister touched upon various issues including the 2017 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and threats from the dreaded terror outfit ISIS. "My trust has been completely shaken. The kind of support which we should be getting from them(Pakistan) on the issue of terrorism, that is not happening. I do not have any hesitation in saying this," he said.
On Pathankot, he said it was mutually agreed "informally" by the two countries that once Pakistan's Joint Intelligence Team would visit India, an NIA team would be allowed. "We are awaiting that NIA team is allowed to visit Pakistan," he said.
"It is unfortunate (no action on Pathankot terror case). Those connected with Pathankot terror case must be punished," he said.
"I will not have any hesitation in saying that if our NIA team does not get permission to visit Pakistan then it will be betrayal. They should be allowed," he said.
"This has been discussed at Secretary level also and this is the proposal from this side also that your team has come, our NIA should also go. We are waiting for response from Pakistan. Let us see what is the response from Pakistan," he added.
To a question on the alleged U-turn in the Ishrat Jahan probe done during the previous UPA regime and the NDA rule, Singh said it was for the court to decide on the future of investigations.
"Prima facie it appears there have been attempts to politicise Ishrat Jahan case. Some documents which had to be in file are not there. I had told Parliament that I am getting a probe done in the case. A Committee has been formed and after I have got the report I will be able to tell what had been done, where," the Home Minister said.
Singh said it was unfortunate that some people try to do politics on the issue of terrorism and insurgency. "Politics should not be there for forming government. It should be there for nation making. There should not be politics on issues concerning country's security.”
"There is a full fledged autonomy to investigating agencies. If some body tries to influence a probe agency then it will be immoral. We cannot doubt NIA or its probe," he said.
Singh said there is no attempt from this government to weaken the NIA or any of the probe agencies. "They have full fledged autonomy," the Home Minister said.
The Home Minister when asked whether the government was seeking to downplay threats from banned ISIS terror group, he said, "I am not downplaying it. Some areas that have been radicalised are under investigation.”
"But I have a perception about ISIS. ISIS will not be able to have an impact in India because we completely trust our Muslim brothers in the country. They are a part of the Indian culture. They will not welcome the activities of ISIS in India," he said.
On the videos of ISIS that surfaced recently, he said government was trying to get this verified, whether it's authentic or a fake.
"But I believe that ISIS activities in any case will not be successful in India and I am saying this because at my personal level based on my experience to date, (I can say) the Muslims of our country are nationalistic and they will not allow the ISIS activities to flourish.”
"Therefore, I am fully reassured that the Indian Muslim, our Muslim brethren, will not let ISIS activities to acquire roots here, they are nationalists," he said.
Talking about the Uttarakhand crisis, the Home Minister said it was the result of Congress' internal squabbling. "I am surprised why BJP is being blamed for it? We have never attempted to overthrow it (Uttarakhand government). We took action based on the report sent by the Governor...there is no impact on our credibility," he said.
Talking about the claims of rising intolerance in the country by writers and intellectuals, he said it cannot be "denied that it was a politically motivated campaign."
"I asked these people to come and talk to us...it fizzled out soon and there is no talk about it now. However, I don't want to put a question mark on the intellect of the intellectuals," he added.
Giving an example, he said recently Delhi Police had rounded up ten Muslim youths in a terror probe case but later released seven of them. "I had told Police that no innocent should be held and put behind bars...we are not taking decisions based on caste, creed or religion," he said.
When asked about the alleged communal statements being made by BJP partymen and MPs, he said instructions have been issued to such people in the past that no such talk should happen and there will be no excuse for making such comments. "We have already reprimanded them," Singh said.
