No talks with Pakistan ever if it goes on harbouring terror: Rajnath Singh

New Delhi, May 15 : Talks with Pakistan can never happen if it continues to be the safe haven for terrorists, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said Sunday, adding that anti-India forces unable to “digest our progress and strength” do not have the courage to directly face India and thus resort to proxy war like terrorism. “We have learnt from revolutionaries such as Chhatrapati Shivaji and Maharana Pratap that a befitting reply will be given to those who try to cast an evil eye on us,” he said at an event in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar in Maharashtra, adding that the country's Armed Forces are capable and ready to do that. Singh's comments come in the backdrop of a major attack on an Army truck at Poonch last month which killed five soldiers. Earlier this month, five soldiers were killed in a terror ambush at the Kandi forest area of Rajouri after terrorists hiding there triggered an IED blast. Last month, Singh told member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to collectively work towards eliminating terrorism in all forms and fix accountability on those aiding or funding such activities. “Today, Article 370 has been abrogated in Jammu and Kashmir. Effective action has been taken against terrorism, extremism and naxalism. The country is completely safe on both internal and external fronts,” he said. He added that after the Uri and Pulwama incidents, the Indian Armed Forces gave a strong message through surgical strikes and airstrikes that they are ready to fight and eliminate terrorism within or across the border. He said securing borders, safety of the people and safeguarding the unity, integrity and sovereignty of the nation is the government's top priority, while adding that the government is making all efforts to ensure that the country is protected from all kinds of threats and moves forward on the path of development at an unprecedented pace.