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Updated: Jun 30, 2020 02:23 IST

While Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan continues to raise the specter of a nuclear war with India in his attempts to drum up international support for intervention in Jammu and Kashmir, New Delhi has asked Islamabad to end cross border terrorism and ceasefire violations and warned that its policy may lead to its own “disintegration”.

In an interview to Doha-based news channel Al Jazeera, Khan suggested a conventional war between the neighbours could easily escalate into a nuclear war.

“When two nuclear-armed countries fight, if they fight a conventional war, there is every possibility that it is going to end up into nuclear war. The unthinkable,” he said. “If say Pakistan, God forbid, we are fighting a conventional war, we are losing, and if a country is stuck between the choice: either you surrender or you fight ‘till death for your freedom, I know Pakistanis will fight to death for their freedom,” Imran said in his latest attempt at warmongering.

The Indian government, which has called out Pakistan for ratcheting up tensions in the region over an “internal matter” of the abrogation of special status to Jammu and Kashmir through annulment of Article 370, on Sunday asked Islamabad to stop its attempts to destabilise Jammu and Kashmir through cross border infiltration.

WATCH | Religion-based politics will break Pak into pieces: Defence Minister Rajnath

“This year they have resorted to more than 2,050 unprovoked ceasefire violations in which 21 Indians died,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said on Sunday while adding that Indian forces exercise maximum restraint and respond to unprovoked violations and attempts at cross border terrorist infiltration.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh, too reiterated that Islamabad should stop promoting terrorism, otherwise no force in the world will be able to prevent it from “breaking into pieces”.

Rajnath Singh had first made the point on Saturday while speaking at a felicitation programme in Surat for the families of 122 soldiers who lost their lives in the line of duty.

“By doing the politics of religion, they (British rulers) divided India into two pieces. But you must have seen that during 1971, Pakistan, which was made on the basis of religion, was broken into two pieces. And if this kind of politics goes on, no one in the world will be able to stop Pakistan from breaking into pieces,” news agency PTI quoted Rajnath as saying.

Singh also said that if anyone from Pakistan crosses the Line of Control (LoC), the Indian Army will not allow them to return.

“Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has given good advice to his people to not cross the Line of Control because Indian soldiers are ready and will not allow them to return,” he said.

Khan, while speaking in Muzaffarabad on Friday, had urged the Pakistani people not to march toward the Line of Control until he asks them to.

Singh also said that India commands trust in the international community and therefore Pakistan’s attempt to mislead the United Nations failed miserably.

The minister on Sunday, in a series of tweets, made a similar point asking Pakistan to refrain from promoting terrorism as it will be counter-productive to its own interest.

“Our neighbour should leave its policy of terrorism else a day would come when it will be compelled to leave it as no power in the world would be able to save it from breaking into several pieces,” Rajnath tweeted.

Singh also asserted that Islamabad had no right to raise the bogey of human rights violations as opposed to India where the minorities feel safe, Pakistan was guilty of persecuting minorities like the Sikhs, Buddhists and even Muslims who crossed over to the other side after the partition.

“Human rights violation are going on since long in Pakistan. Those who went to Pakistan after partition are still insulted and termed “Muhajir”. While in India all people feel safe and are respected,” tweeted Rajnath Singh.

“It is not hidden from the world what is happening in Pakistan with the Sindhi community, Sikh community, Balochs, and other minority communities. Pakistan which is raising ‘Human rights violation in UN Conference’ should first look at what is happening in their country,” Singh said in another tweet.

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Continuing his attack, Rajnath Singh said Pakistan was not able to digest the abrogation of Article 370 by India and also resented its different communities living together peacefully.

“Pakistan cannot see how people from all communities have lived together with peace in India. The minorities feel safe in India. Minority communities have always been safe, are safe and will remain safe here,” he stated.

The Indian Army has intensified its presence along the Line of Control (LoC) in view of Pakistan’s increased aggressive posture along with direct and indirect threats of war ever since Parliament ended special status of Jammu and Kashmir on August 6.

On Saturday, the Commander of Army’s Northern Command, Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh, reviewed security preparedness along the LoC in the light of military threat from Pakistan. Earlier, Army chief General Bipin Rawat had also visited the valley to review India’s preparedness at the LoC.

In the first week of September, Pakistan moved a brigade-sized force to a location 30km away from the LoC within its own territory as was reported by the Army quoting intel sources.