Terror, talks cannot go together, says BJP

Says relations between India and Pak appear to be the same now as they're ahead of the Kargil conflict

BJP president Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said terror and talks cannot go together and hinted that the relations between India and Pakistan appeared to be the same now as they were ahead of the Kargil conflict in Jammu and Kashmir in 1999.

"The prime minister should understand, terror and talks cannot go together," Rajnath Singh said at a press conference here.

In a reference to the 14-day long operation to remove a group of intruders, allegedly backed by Pakistan, in the remote Keran area of Jammu and Kashmir on the Line of Control (LoC), he said: "I want to remind the government of India, there was a similar infiltration earlier in Kargil."

"The Pakistan government said (in 1999 that infiltrators) were terrorists and had nothing to do with the Pakistan government. Soon after the Kargil war happened," he said.

During the 1999 conflict, the Indian Army cleared the Kargil sector of Kashmir of infiltrators from Pakistan, including army soldiers and militants.

"This time again they (Pakistan) say it is the non-state actors. I demand that the prime minister should call an all-party meeting immediately and give information on this. I would also like to know from the prime minister, why were there so many cease-fire violations and bids of infiltration in the last one year," he said.