Senior Congress leader B.K. Hariprasad on Wednesday challenged the BJP to press the Centre to officially declare Pakistan an enemy nation, arguing that such a decision could be taken only through India’s foreign policy framework and not through political rhetoric.
Speaking during a discussion in the Legislative Council on the use of objectionable language, Mr. Hariprasad said that whether a country was an enemy nation could not be decided by individuals or political parties. “This country has a foreign policy. If Pakistan is an enemy nation, the Centre should declare it as such,” he said.
Diplomatic ties
He pointed out that diplomatic ties with Pakistan continued, including the presence of embassies, and questioned how Pakistan could be labelled an “enemy nation” without severing such relations.
Responding to BJP member K.S. Naveen, who recalled Mr. Hariprasad’s earlier remarks describing Pakistan as a neighbouring country, he said India need not maintain any relationship with Pakistan if foreign policy so decided.
Mr. Hariprasad also said that China posed a greater threat to India, noting that the Union External Affairs Minister had acknowledged Chinese occupation of Indian territory.
Sporting engagement
Referring to the killing of 26 civilians in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, he said the Centre could have declared Pakistan an enemy nation then. However, he criticised the BJP for allowing sporting engagements, pointing out that Indian teams played cricket matches with Pakistan in Dubai even after the incident.
Rejecting accusations of a lack of patriotism, Mr. Hariprasad said the Congress had never raised slogans in favour of Pakistan or glorified its leaders. He recalled former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s position that dialogue with Pakistan would not resume until terrorism ended.
Invited for swearing in
He also pointed out that in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had invited Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to his swearing-in ceremony, and challenged BJP leaders to reflect on their claims of nationalism, referring to the India Gate memorial bearing the names of martyrs from all communities.
The remarks led to sharp exchanges between members of the two parties in the House.
Published – February 04, 2026 08:15 pm IST
