'If India Can Be Kicked Around In This Manner Internationally...'

Leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha on the demand to condemn the resolution of Pakistan Parliament with regard to the execution of Afzal Guru.

Yesterday a very serious development has taken place from India's national point of view that the Parliament in Pakistan has passed a resolution condemning the execution of a person who has been convicted for an attack on Indian Parliament. 

Besides being interference in India's internal affairs, it is an official statement which comes from the combined polity of Pakistan. So far we had wondered who was really in control of the state — their army, their ISI, a civilian government or non-state actors. But with yesterday's resolution, all these distinctions have been obliterated. It is an official stamp of approval on one of the worst terrorist attacks that took place in India.

So far we have always alleged and there was evidence to suggest that for an attack on Indian Parliament planning was done across the border but yesterday's resolution seems to have confirmed our worst fears because the polity of the country unanimously condones that action by actually condemning our action in sentencing through a rule of law the person who was involved in this. 

Sir, the beheading of our soldiers, the bomb blasts in Hyderabad, the attack on the CRPF camp in Srinagar finally have culminated into this resolution. This now clearly shows what the intention of Pakistan in this matter seems to be. The government will now seriously have to consider how to deal with Pakistan in this situation. The hon. Prime Minister has in the past been very magnanimous to say that he is willing to walk an extra mile. 

After a series of these provocations, we would like to urge him that forget a mile, he should now forget walking even an extra yard. Pakistan does not deserve this. As long as this resolution remains, the question of a continued dialogue with Pakistan which is approving of showing sympathy for terrorist attacks in India, I think, we should seriously forget discussing any serious issue with them through a structured dialogue. Therefore, Pakistan will now have to walk extra two miles rather than our Prime Minister wanting to walk an extra mile. If we want to normalise relations, with these kinds of resolutions, normalisation of relations will not be possible. 

Sir, this comes in the backdrop of a serious situation which our country is facing, whether it is Male or it is Rome or it is Islamabad, I think we seriously need to discuss our foreign policy and where it is leading us, because if India can be kicked around in this manner internationally, then there is something seriously wrong in the manner in which we are managing our external affairs. 

So, I would urge you to kindly fix a date so that the hon. Prime Minister and the External Affairs Minister are here, make a statement and this House gets an opportunity to discuss this issue at length.