India Could Have Given Pakistan More Money Than IMF Bailout Package If Bilateral Relations Were Better: Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday (29 September) said that India could have provided Pakistan with a financial package exceeding what the country had sought from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) if relations between the two nations had been friendly.

Speaking at an election rally in the Gurez assembly segment of J&K's Bandipora district , Rajnath Singh referred to the development package for Jammu and Kashmir announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Modi ji in 2014-15 announced a special package for development of Jammu and Kashmir which has now reached Rs 90,000 crore. The amount is much bigger than what Pakistan was seeking from the IMF [as bailout package]," the senior BJP leader said.

Singh also referred to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's famous statement that "we can change friends but we cannot change the neighbours."

"I said, my Pakistani friends, why have strained relations, we are neighbours. If we had good relations, we would have given more money than the IMF," he added, news agency PTI reported.

Cash-strapped Pakistan had recently secured a new $7 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), its 24th IMF bailout since 1958.

Pakistan will receive the loan in instalments over 37 months to help revive its struggling economy.

Singh highlighted that the the Central government provides funds for Jammu and Kashmir’s development, while Pakistan has long misused financial aid.

"It seeks money from other countries to run a terrorism factory on its soil," he added.

Singh said that Kashmir will again become a paradise on earth when Vajpayee's dream of restoring "Insaniyat, Jamhooriyat and Kashmiriyat" in the valley is achieved.

He also said that Pakistan, which has used terrorism as a weapon against India, has been isolated on the global stage, with even some of its closest allies distancing themselves.

"Whenever we have investigated terrorism, we have found Pakistani involvement. Our successive governments have tried to make Pakistan understand that they should stop terror camps but to no avail. Pakistan is frustrated after revocation of Article 370 and is making attempts to revive terror. They do not want democracy to take roots here. [But] India is strong enough that it can take on Pakistan on its soil. If anyone in Pakistan carries out an attack on India, we can crossover and respond," he added.

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