The Express Tribune

India’s home minister has turned up the war rhetoric against Pakistan, threatening to break Pakistan into ‘10 pieces’ in a statement that appears to substantiate Islamabad’s fears of Delhi’s meddling in its internal matters.Speaking to a gathering in Indian Occupied Kashmir’s Kathua district, Rajnath Singh once again accused Pakistan of “trying to destabilise India by encouraging terrorism”, a charge Islamabad has repeatedly rejected.“A neighbouring country of ours again and again encourages terrorism and terrorist activities to harm India,” The Times of India quoted Rajnath Singh as telling the gathering. “Pakistan has been divided into two countries. If it does not stop cross-border terrorism, it will soon be in 10 pieces,” he said.“Our government will never let the nation to bow down its head before anyone. We cannot change our neighbours.”Tensions between Islamabad and Delhi have been at an all-time high ever since Indian security forces killed popular Kashmir separatist leader Burhan Wani in July this year. Since then, the two nuclear-armed neighbours have been locked in a standoff along the Line of Control and the Working Boundary due to regular ceasefire violations by India which have cost both civilians and military personnel their lives.Pakistani forces have responded in turn, inflicting numerous casualties on the Indian forces.During that time, Indian troops and military installations in Occupied Kashmir have been repeatedly attacked by rebels. India has blamed these attacks on ‘Pakistan-based militants’ – a charge Pakistan has repeatedly denied.Islamabad, in turn, has denounced both Delhi’s accusations and its ceasefire violations as attempts to detract attention away from mass protests in Occupied Kashmir which erupted after Wani’s killing.Pakistan has also accused India of carrying out subversive activities, particularly in Balochistan and Karachi, in a bid to destabilise the country.Earlier this year Pakistani security officials arrested senior RAW operative Kulbhushan Yadav and obtained a video confession in which he admitted that his country was involved in sabotage attempts in Pakistan.Published in, December 12, 2016.