Indian Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Sunday warned Pakistan not to view India's peace efforts as a sign of its weakness, according to a private TV channel. Pakistan has "failed to halt the use of its soil by terrorists", she told an election rally in Dablehar, about 30 km west of Jammu, and added that India was "quite competent" to respond to terrorist attacks.
She said that India wanted to resolve its disputes with Pakistan through dialogue. "But our yearning for peace should not be taken for weakness," she said, adding that "terrorism continues to spring out of our neighbourhood".
"If it is not checked, we have the capacity to give a befitting reply," she declared to loud cheer. The Congress president said that those accusing her party of allegedly being soft on terror should answer why they could not tame terrorism when they ruled India.
"India wants peaceful and friendly relations with our neighbouring country in the same way it wants peace and tranquillity within the country," she said. The last round of the seven-stage elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be held on December 24.