India can make surgical strikes, warns Malik

LAHORE: Former Minister for Interior and PPP Senator Rehman Malik has warned India against any adventure against Pakistan.

Talking to the media on Tuesday, Rehman Malik said the Pulwama incident seemed a planned occurrence like the Samjohota Express tragedy. He said that RSS and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wanted to create a tense atmosphere in the region and warned the Pakistani government should also remain alert against possible surgical strikes of India. He said the Indian PM was trying to build a pre-election narrative against Pakistan and the Congress Party in India had suffered a setback.

He said Indians needed to think wisely in elections and decide whether they wanted a terrorist government or democratic forces. Rehman Malik also said that Sikhs were very close to the Pakistani nation. To a question on the visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman to Pakistan, the former minister said the country's image could have improved further if the government had invited the opposition to the occasion. He urged the government to summon a joint session of Parliament and take opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and former President Asif Ali Zardari into confidence to evolve a consensus over the prevailing situation.