One nation's terrorist can't be martyr for another,' Rajnath tells Pakistan

Islamabad/New Delhi: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh sent a strong message to Pakistan at the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit which was held at Islamabad on Thursday and said ‘there should be no glorification of terrorists as martyrs’.

The statement was a direct attack on the Nawaz Sharif government that had branded Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani a ‘martyr’ and had even observed a Black Day in Pakistan to mourn his death.

“There should be no glorification of terrorists as martyrs. There is no good or bad terrorism. Terrorism is terrorism,” Rajnath said at the SAARC conference.

Read: Pakistan didn’t black out Rajnath’s speech at SAARC: Govt sources

“Those who provide support, encouragement, give sanctuary and safe haven and assistance to terrorists and terrorism must be isolated,” he added.

Not only had Sharif praises 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.

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The ongoing strain in Indo-Pak relations was evident at the conference when Singh came face-to-face with his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan for the first time on Thursday and the two leaders barely shook hands.

Read: In Pak for SAARC meet, Rajnath calls on Sharif as a ‘formal courtesy call’

Members of the Indian media, which came from New Delhi to report the conference, were not allowed to capture the moment and were kept at a distance by Pakistani officials, which led to a verbal dual between a senior Indian official and a Pakistani official.

Indian officials said the ongoing chill in Indo-Pak relations after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani was clearly visible in the conference.