Amid Sharp India-Pak Tension, Rajnath Singh To Visit Islamabad Next Week

New Delhi: Amid searing tension with Pakistan, Home Minister Rajnath Singh will fly on Thursday to Islamabad to attend a summit of SAARC, which has eight South Asian countries as members.   

The Home Minister will not meet one-on-one with his Pakistani counterpart, said the government, though sources said Mr Singh will ask for an explanation about a terrorist arrested this week who, in a video released by security forces, says he belongs to Pakistan and was trained there.

India has accused Pakistan of instigating the violence that tore through Kashmir this month after 22-year-old terrorist Burhan Wani was shot dead, triggering outrage among residents. 

Pakistan has eulogized Wani as a martyr and accused India of excessive force and violation of human rights in the Kashmir Valley to curb the huge demonstrations and attacks on police stations and security force bases.

In its most aggressive comments in recent months, India on Saturday retaliated by warning Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that his "dream of Kashmir becoming Pakistan" will not be realized even "to the end of eternity". Pakistan's "unabashed embrace of terrorism" and its use of "dirty money" were highlighted by Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj as she stressed, "All of Kashmir belongs to India."

"We are ready for dialogue in an atmosphere free from terror," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup when asked about bilateral talks with Pakistan being revived.

More than 45 people have died and nearly 3,000 left injured as civilians and stone-throwing protestors clashed with security forces after Wani was shot on the night of July 8.  Recruited by the terror group Hizbul Mujahideen when he was in his teens, Wani rose quickly through the ranks to become a top commander of Kashmir's largest terror group, successfully using social media to recruit other young men like himself who say the state has ignored their rights and needs.

In January, Pakistani terrorists crossed the border in Punjab for an audacious attack on the Pathankot Air Force Base that killed seven military personnel. The assault lasted nearly three days, and resulted in the cancellation of high-level talks scheduled between India and Pakistan.