TIL Desk/National/New Delhi/ A Private Member’s Bill, which seeks to declare Pakistan a country sponsoring terrorism, will be opposed by the government in Parliament. ‘The Declaration of Countries as Sponsor of Terrorism Bill, 2016’, moved by Independent member Rajeev Chandrasekhar in Rajya Sabha, “seeks to call out states like Pakistan that continue to associate, promote, patronise and sponsor terrorism against our nation” and provides for snapping all economic and trade relations with that country.
“India can’t declare any country a ‘Terror State’ as it has to maintain diplomatic relations with all countries. Besides, in principle it is very rare that government supports any Private Member’s Bill,” a Home Ministry official said.
The Home Ministry has conveyed to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat about its opposition to the Bill, saying such a move may “jeopardise” international relations. While moving the Bill on February 3, Chandrasekhar had stated that for decades, India and other countries in the region have been victims of terror attacks from organisations and individuals based in and with the support of elements in Pakistan.
