We can cross border if needed to protect our country: Rajnath

New Delhi: Blasting Pakistan for giving political legitimacy to terror mastermind Hafiz Saeed, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said that our security forces can cross over the Line of Control (LoC), if needed, to protect the country's territorial integrity. Making it clear that Jammu and Kashmir will remain an integral part of India, Singh said that the Narendra Modi government wants a permanent solution to the Kashmir issue and the interlocutor appointed by it is ready to talk to anyone who is willing to have a dialogue.

"We not only secure India internally but can also cross the border, if needed, to protect the country," he said at the Rising India summit. In September 2016, the Indian Army had carried out surgical strikes at the terror launch pads across the LoC and inflected significant casualties to avenge the terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.

The home minister said India wants to maintain friendly relations with Pakistan but that country was not keen on it, rather giving "political legitimacy" to the LeT founder and 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed. "Pakistan is now providing political legitimacy to a UN-designated terrorist. Hafiz Saeed is now allowed to form a political party, he will contest elections and go to Parliament. Haqqani Network, which is responsible for killings of scores of people are being abetted and given protection. It is shocking," he said.

Singh, however, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has achieved huge success in taking the fight against terrorism on international forum. Earlier nobody talked against Pakistan's terrorism, now the US has also condemned Pakistan, he said.

Referring to the appointment of the interlocutor, former Intelligence Bureau chief Dineshwar Sharma, on the Kashmir issue, the home minister said the interlocutor would talk to everyone who was keen for dialogue. He said that despite Pakistan's best efforts, Kashmir would never be separated from India.

"Kashmir was with India, Kashmir is with India and Kashmir will remain with India forever," he said. Singh said that Kashmir's children were like his own and he would not allow anyone to radicalise them.

"I want to tell those who are trying to teach jihad to innocent Kashmiri youths that they should first learn the real concept of jihad in Islam," he said. The minister said he had personally asked Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to ignore cases filed against first time stone-pelters.

Following Singh's request, the Jammu and Kashmir government had withdrawn cases registered against 9,730 people involved in stone-pelting incidents, including first-time offenders. "We have forgiven first-time stone-pelters. They might have been influenced by others. They are young. We need to give them a second chance," he said.

Singh also highlighted the government's efforts in dealing with Maoists and the inurgents in the North-East. He said that the battle against Naxals can't be won through bullets and hence several developmental initiatives were taken in this direction.