OPINION | Onus of extending ceasefire rests on Pakistan, not India

The question that is being asked almost everywhere is: Will the ceasefire hold or will there be another conflagration? Pakistan’s Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told the Upper House of his Parliament that the ceasefire with India would continue till May 18. He sounded optimistic that the deadline for ceasefire would extend, step by step. Dar said, “During the DGMOs’ conversation, the ceasefire was extended until May 12. When the DGMOs spoke again on May 12, the ceasefire was extended until May 14. Further talks on May 14 led to the ceasefire being extended until May 18.” 

On Friday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh poured cold water on Pakistan’s hopes. At Bhuj air base in Gujarat, Singh said, “Operation Sindoor is not yet over..this was just a trailer..We will show the full movie to the world when the right time comes”.

Leaders in Pakistan are, however, praying for India-Pak talks to begin. Dar said, it is possible that India may agree for talks in the next few days, while PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto, who had threatened ‘river of blood will flow’ on Indus water issue, said, Pakistan wants to have composite talks with India and all issues can be sorted out through negotiations. Pakistani leaders are contacting heads of government in world capitals urging them to persuade India to start talks. But India has taken a strong stand. 

Rajnath Singh said, “our indigenous BrahMos missiles rained horror and damaged 11 Pakistanis air bases. “If Pakistan does not learn from this, it should be ready for action”, he added. India does not want war. India did not attack Pakistan first. Its air force only attacked and destroyed terror hideouts after innocent tourists were massacred in Pahalgam. In reply, Pakistan tried to attack our military installations. Pakistan was taught a lesson under Operation Sindoor. Its civilian leadership is now lamenting. Rajnath Singh’s response has been blunt. He has said, this is only a trailer and Pakistan should wait for the full movie.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Adampur air base, told armed forces to remain on alert and if Pakistan makes any mischief, they are free to take action. Operation Sindoor will continue. There is only one way out: Pakistan must abandon the path of terrorism, wind up all terrorist bases on its soil, and hand over all wanted terrorists to India. It is now for the Pakistani government and its army to decide. If they do not, they should be ready to watch the whole movie. 

India has carefully explained this to Pakistan, and to the US too. So, the onus on whether to continue the ceasefire or not, is not on India, but on Pakistan. If Pakistan carries out any fresh mischief, our BrahMos missiles will finish off the remaining air bases in Pakistan. Rajnath put it bluntly on Friday, “the trailer lasted only 23 minutes, the time taken by people to finish breakfast. Our air force finished off their air bases within that time.” Already, Pakistan government has issued tender notices for repair of its damaged air bases in Rawalpindi, Risalpur and Kallar Kahar. People in Pakistan are now asking if these air bases require repairs, why did PAF tell a lie that none of its air bases was damaged in Indian attack.

Pakistan’s policy: Get IMF money, pay terrorists  

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced compensation of Rs 1 crore to the legal heir of each of the terrorists killed in India’s air strike on terror hideouts on May 6-7 night. It can end up paying Rs 14 crore in compensation of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, because he lost 14 of his family members in the air strike on his headquarter in Bahawalpur. Shehbaz Sharif has also promised to give Rs 20 lakh ex-gratia to kin of each terrorist killed in Lashkar-e-Taiba headquarter at Muridke. He has also promised to rebuild these terror headquarters and other terror camps. 

On Friday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, Pakistan will be giving to terrorists crores of money collected from taxpayers and from a billion dollar loan received from IMF. Singh said, India will not tolerate this brazen support to terrorism by Pakistan. This is clearly “indirect terror funding”, he said. Pakistan is groaning under a total debt of 225 billion dollars, which accounts for 70 per cent of its GDP. Pakistan now stands exposed to the world on the issue of terrorism. 

On one hand, Pakistan says it does not support terrorists, then one would like to know: Will Rs 14 crore  be given to Masood Azhar for farming? Pakistan says, it has no terror camps. The question is: Did Masood Azhar’s 14 associates die while playing cricket? Is Rs 14 crore a reward to Masood Azhar for spilling blood of innocent people? The whole world has now seen the damaged headquarters of Masood Azhar and Hafiz Saeed, where terrorists were being recruited and given training. When IAF destroyed both these headquarters, Pakistan described these places as mosques and madrasas. Now Pakistan government is going to rebuild them.

When the bodies of terrorists were blown to pieces in Indian attack, Pakistan described them as civilians and ‘family man’. Why were the coffins of these terrorists draped in Pakistan’s national flag? Why were senior army generals standing in mourning at their funerals? Pakistan cannot lie anymore. For the last four decades, it has allowed terrorists to kill innocent people, struck at our revered Bharat Mata several times, and when our armed forces destroyed these hideouts, Pakistan started cribbing. 

Pakistan knows it quite well that Masood Azhar and Hafiz Saeed are still living in safe houses and they get full cover from Pakistani army and air force. That is why India has made this amply clear. So long as Pakistan does not hand over wanted terrorists to India, the war on terrorism shall continue. Pakistan is also now crying out for Indus river water. Prime Minister Modi has said  clearly, “Blood and water cannot flow together.”

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