Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh has said Pakistan would "soon be in ten pieces" if cross-border terrorism does not come to an end, Times of India reported.
"Pakistan has been divided into 2 countries (in 1971). If it does not stop cross-border terrorism, it will soon be in 10 pieces," Singh said while speaking to a gathering in India-occupied Kashmir’s Kathua district.
Accusing Pakistan of "encouraging terrorism" to harm India, the Indian home minister said, "Perhaps it was not able to understand the fact that terrorism is not a weapon of the brave but of cowards."
"Our government will never let the nation bow its head before anyone," Rajnath Singh said.
Speaking in reference to September's attack on the Uri base camp in India-occupied Kashmir, Singh said, "You have seen how they cowardly attacked our jawans but after that our jawans did a wonderful job."
India initiated a diplomatic drive to isolate Pakistan after blaming it for the Sept 18 attack on the Uri army camp in IHK which killed 18 soldiers ─ a claim Pakistan has rejected.
Tensions between the South Asian rivals have been high since an Indian crackdown on dissent in IHK following the killing by Indian forces of Burhan Wani, a young separatist leader, in July.
'Indian designs will never succeed'
In a response to Rajnath's statement, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said that Indian designs to disintegrate Pakistan will never succeed, Radio Pakistan reported.
Nisar blamed the policies of the Modi-led government for the growing divide in India.
The Indian government has built a wall of hatred in the entire country, the interior minister claimed, adding that life for minorities under Modi's rule has become miserable.
They are living under a constant security threat, Nisar said.
"The BJP government's hands are stained with the blood of innocent Kashmiris," he said.
The interior minister further said arrest of 'Indian spy' Kulbhushan Yadav and other 'Indian agents' in Pakistan was clear proof of India's meddling in Pakistan's affairs.
