New Delhi:

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today said India is ready to start dialogue with Pakistan if the neighbouring country stops sponsoring terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

Mr Singh made the comment at an election rally in the Union Territory’s Ramban district. The BJP has fielded Mohd Saleem Bhat from the Banihal seat in this district.

“If Pakistan do one thing, that is stop giving support to terrorism, who would not like to improve relations with neighbouring countries? Because I know the reality that you can change a friend, but not your neighbour. We want improved relations with Pakistan, but first of all they should stop terrorism,” Mr Singh said at a rally in Banihal.

The Defence Minister said 85 per cent people who were killed by terrorists were Muslims.

“Terror incidents used to be a routine affair in Kashmir. Were Hindus being killed in the terror acts? I have been a Home Minister and I know the highest number of Muslims lost their lives in incidents of terror,” Mr Singh said.

India has long maintained that the normalisation of radical elements in Pakistan has been a part of Islamabad’s state policy. Even a political party backed by 26/11 Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed had contested elections in Pakistan. Hafiz Saeed, who is a UN-proscribed terrorist, is the founder of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Major terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir had declined after Pakistan was included in the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) grey list. Pakistan had then faced huge worries about securing financial aid from foreign institutions because of its FATF scrutiny.

The FATF had later removed Pakistan from the grey list, though India had said it did not mean Pakistan would no longer be under scrutiny.

Earlier today, the Defence Minister also addressed an election rally in Ramban in support of party candidate Rakesh Singh Thakur.

The BJP’s Mohd Saleem Bhat is pitted against former state Congress chief and ex minister Vikar Rasool Wani, who is looking for a hat-trick from Banihal.

Voting in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in three phases. Counting is on October 8.

With inputs from PTI

Srinagar:

Kashmir has been reeling under intense heat wave with several places in the valley recording their highest July temperature in 25 years on Sunday.

According to the meteorological office, Srinagar city recorded a high of 36.2 degrees Celsius on Sunday. This was hottest July day since July 9, 1999 when the mercury had settled at 37 degrees Celsius.

The hottest July day in Srinagar was recorded on July 10, 1946 with mercury rising to 38.3 degrees Celsius.

Qazigund and Kokernag towns in south Kashmir also recorded their hottest July day on Sunday.

Qazigund noted a maximum temperature of 35.6 degrees Celsius, beating the previous high of 34.5 degrees Celsius recorded on July 11, 1988.

In Kokernag, the mercury rose to 34.1 degrees Celsius, against the previous or 33.3 degrees Celsius recorded on July 3 this year.

The mercury in this south Kashmir town had touched 33 degrees only once earlier on July 8, 1993.

The Met has forecast spell of rain at isolated places of Kashmir valley over the years next 24 hours, which is expected to bring down the mercury.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)