Any comment on wanting peace will be taken seriously: Nirmala Sitharaman

Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said that any comment on wanting peace will definitely be taken seriously. Sitharaman's comments comes days after Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa called for peace talk with India.

"Any comment on wanting peace will definitely be taken seriously," Sitharaman told media here when asked about India's stance on General Bajwa's peace initiative.

Earlier this month Pakistan Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa has made attempts to reach out to India with an aim to restart talks. He further said the Pakistan Army leadership has come around to the position that the path to peace depends on peace with India. His comments came amid the impression, persisting for decades, that the Pakistan Army was not supportive of talks with India.

General Bajwa also pointed out that defence attache at the Indian embassy in Islamabad had been invited to the Pakistan Day military parade in March, for the first ever time. He later added that the Pakistan military wanted peace and dialogue with India.

Asked about the recent incidents of ceasefire violations by Pakistan and whether India would stick to its decision to not launch any operation in Jammu and Kashmir during Ramzan, Sitharaman said the armed forces will abide by what was announced by the Centre.

"We shall fully honour the policy which the Home Ministry on behalf of the government of India announced. The policy has clearly laid out how it is going to pan out and we shall abide by everything that was announced," Sitharaman said on the sidelines of a seminar on artificial intelligence.

Speaking at the seminar, she underlined the need for incorporating AI applications in the Army, Navy and the Air Force. She said AI can also be utilised in checking chemical, biological and nuclear weapons as well as keeping a vigil on outer space.

The Pakistan Rangers resorted to unprovoked firing and shelling along the International Border (IB) in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir last night.

n a major decision, the Home Ministry announced last week Wednesday that security forces will not launch any operations in Jammu and Kashmir during Ramzan but reserve the right to retaliate if attacked.