Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Tuesday compared Pakistan to hell while commenting on the five terrorists killed by security forces in Jammu and Kashmir. Parrikar's statement comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his Independence Day speech, said that Pakistan has been glorifying terrorism.
Speaking about the encounter, Parrikar said: "Kal humare jawano ne 5 logon ko wapas bhej dia. Pakistan mein jaana aur nark mein jaana ek hi hai [Our jawans sent five people back yesterday. Going to Pakistan and going to hell is the same thing]."
The implication, in more words, was that these five infiltrators had come from Pakistan, and by being killed, they had gone to hell for their sins. However, Pakistan was so bad that it was akin to hell. So the terrorists going to hell was the same as going back to Pakistan.
Parrikar also said on the occasion: "Pakistan has encouraged terrorism, and now it is facing consequences of that policy." This reference was to instances of India giving proof that Pakistani soil was being used to export terror to India, the most recent of which was Bahadur Ali.
It could also have been a reference to the Peshawar school killing which PM Modi mentioned in his Independence Day speech. The attack, in which over 100 children died, was claimed by the Pakistan arm of Taliban, puncturing previous claims by the country that there were both "good Taliban" and "bad Taliban."
Meanwhile, it has emerged that Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley might not go to Pakistan for a meeting of finance minister from South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations. It is being said that Finance Secretary Shaktikanta Das might take his place at the meet.
This comes in light of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh being greeted by protests when he went to Islamabad for a SAARC meeting of home or interior ministers.
