RSS leader Indresh Kumar hits out at Imran Khan, says 'toxic ideology' of Pak leadership led to country's division

RSS leader Indresh Kumar on Friday targeted Pakistan Prime Minister over his remarks concerning the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and said that the "toxic ideology" of Pakistan leadership had led to the division of the country in 1971 and its Sindh and Balochistan provinces were "burning" and wanted freedom.

Kumar said the leadership of the neighbouring country had a "toxic nature" and the country had "poisonous and bloody" circumstances of its birth.

Kumar made the remarks in the wake of Imran Khan putting blame on "RSS ideology" for the talks stalled with India amid concerns over Islamabad's support to cross-border terrorism.

Imran Khan was responding to the question posed byon the sidelines of the Central-South Asian conference in Tashkent.

Kumar said the leadership of Pakistan is a symbol of "torture and atrocities" in that country.

"The leadership of Pakistan and the country itself are born out of bloodshed and toxic spirit. It was born out of India being divided brutally in 1947, displacement of three crore people and death and killing of 12 lakh people. Lakhs of women were also raped. Not just that, it is also a symbol of atrocities and torture in their own country," he said.

"Sindh and Balochistan are burning today, and actions of Pakistan leadeship has led piles of corpses there. They all want freedom. In the same way, its toxic ideology had led to the division of Pakistan in 1971 and the creation of Bangladesh," Kumar added.

Imran Khan on Friday evaded questions on Pakistan's role concerning the Taliban's actions in Afghanistan and sought to put blame on "RSS ideology" for the stalled talks with India.

Khan was asked byon the sidelines of the event if talks and terror can go together.

"I can tell India that we are waiting for long that we live like civilised neighbours. But what can we do? The ideology of RSS has come in the way," Khan told ANI.

Khan did not take further questions even as a query was sought to be put to him about the relationship concerning the Taliban and Pakistan in the context of developments in Afghanistan.

As Imran Khan walked further with his security detail, thecorrespondent persisted with his question "Is Taliban not under your control... allegations being levelled against you."

India has repeatedly told Pakistan to take credible, verifiable and irreversible action against terrorist networks and proxies operating from territories under its control and conveyed that terror and talks cannot take place together.

India has also said that it desires normal relations all its neighbours including Pakistan and it was for Islamabad to create a conducive atmosphere through measures including taking "credible, verifiable and irreversible" action to not allow any territory under its control to be used for cross-border terrorism.

Talks between the two countries have been stalled after a terror attack on the Pathankot Air Force base in 2016 by terror groups based in the neighbouring country.

( With inputs from ANI )