CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday hit out at Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, blaming him for terror activities in the State and killings of Indian soldiers at the border.
He made the remarks at function where he laid the foundation stone along with Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu for the religious corridor at Dera Baba Nanak. "I want to say something to their (Pakistan) army chief. I have also been in the army and General Bajwa is very junior to me in service. Does the army teach (you) to kill our jawans at the border? You kill them with snipers. Have you ever been told that you killed people in Pathankot and Dinanagar?" Singh said.
He called for the immediate removal of General Bajwa and said the Pak army should learn the message of love and brotherhood propounded by Guru Nanak Dev.
Amarinder vowed to protect his State and its people "from the terror unleashed from across the border" till the last drop of his blood, and warned Pakistan of "serious consequences" if it did not put an end to the violence perpetrated against India.
Even as he thanked Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan for reciprocating India's move on developing the Kartarpur corridor, he was scathing in his criticism of Pak army Chief General Bajwa for "promoting State-sponsored terror through brutal killings" of Indian soldiers and innocent citizens.
He urged the Pakistan prime minister to rein in his army and bring an immediate end to the terror activities against Indian armed forces and citizens.
Lashing out at those who felt he should have accepted Pakistan's invitation to participate in the ground-breaking ceremony for Kartarpur corridor on the other side of the border, Amarinder asked how could he go there when innocent Indian citizens and soldiers were being killed by them everyday. "I want to go to Kartarpur and also visit Nankana Sahib and Panja Sahib gurdwaras again, but cannot go there as I will have to enter Pakistan, which is killing my people every day," he asserted.
Amarinder recalled the 26/11 Mumbai attacks as a grim reminder of Pak-sponsored terrorism in India. He further pointed out that the Dina Nagar and Pathankot attacks in Gurdaspur district also stood out as major examples of the terror unleashed by Pakistan in this part of Punjab.
Describing terror as madness, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu said he fully endorsed Amarinder's views and vowed that India will not allow its people to be killed. While India wants peace and promotes friendship, it will not allow terrorism to breed on its soil, he said, urging countries that support terror to shun this path.
Peace is the requisite for progress, said the Vice President, asserting that India wants peaceful relations with its neighbours and wanted them to change their mindsets to embrace peace.
Amarinder suggested that there should be no visa or passport for travel via the corridor, also announced his government's decision to construct a grand Kartarpur Gate, which he said would stand out as a monumental symbol to commemorate the 550th Prakash Purb of Guru Nanak Dev.
He also said Navjot Singh Sidhu's decision to go to Pakistan for the ground-breaking ceremony of Kartarpur corridor was "his way of thinking" but he personally could not think of going there while Indian soldiers and civilians were being killed by bullets from across the border.
As for the Central government's decision to send its ministers to the ceremony in Pakistan, he said it was for them to do as they deemed it fit. The Centre cannot close its eyes to what is happening in India as a result of Pakistan's policy and support to terrorist groups, said Amarinder and announced infrastructure works worth Rs 965 crore to ensure holistic development of Dera Baba Nanak.