‘Keep them down there. Period.’: Ex-general KJS Dhillon counters Kapil Dev's call for talks with Pakistan

Lt Gen (retd) KJS Dhillon, also well-known by his nickname ‘Tiny’, said in a post on X that the neighbouring country “is a terrorist state”, which is killing India's innocent civilians. He said that it is best to keep Pakistan “where they belong”.

India defeated arch rivals Pakistan by five wickets in the Asia Cup final at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. The Indian team maintained its stance on the neighbouring country as the matches took place against the backdrop of border tensions after the April 22 Pahalgam attack that left 26 people dead.

The Indian players refused to shake hands with their Pakistani opponents and declined to accept the Asia Cup trophy from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman and interior minister Mohsin Naqvi.

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Reacting to the tensions between the two teams, Kapil Dev said that when the team has gotten a go-ahead from the cricket board or the country to play against Pakistan, then "go and play".

"And shaking hands is not a big thing. I don't think it's a big thing," the 1983 World Cup-winning captain told India Today in an interview.

He further said that the Indian government has decided that the country does not want to let Pakistan come out again and again, and try to disturb our nation. "But one thing everybody has to understand is that they are the neighbour. And you want to have a good neighbour. They can say the same thing, and we can also say the same thing. The only way forward is to have a dialogue, you have to talk to them again and again," Kapil Dev said.

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He emphasised that over the past 70 years, there has been little improvement in the ties between the two countries. "They are our neighbour, we should try our best as a big brother to solve the problem," the cricket legend added.

‘Neighbour is a terrorist state’

Kapil Dev's remarks drew flak from many, including retired Dhillon, who also recently authored a book on Operation Sindoor.

He said he "absolutely disagrees" with Kapil Dev.

"Let us not take this neighbour and big brother thing too far with utter disregard for the ground realities," he said in a post on X.

Dhillon highlighted the "ground reality", saying that the neighbour is a "terrorist state and his terrorists are killing our innocent civilians and our security forces personnel are making the supreme sacrifice for decades now".

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"Let's keep them where they belong and deserve — down there. Period," KJS Dhillon added.

Meanwhile, political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla also disagreed with Kapil Dev's remarks. He directly addressed the cricket veteran in an X post and said, "With respect Kapil Dev ji… ‘they (Pakistan) can say the same thing, we (India) can say the same..’ Sorry sir, INDIA does not Carry out terror attacks in Pakistan!"

Poonawalla added that India did not strike civilians even during Operation Sindoor, but Pakistan did. While acknowledging this "harsh" picture, Poonawalla said, "Please let us all drop this idea of talking to Pakistan!"

"Sir, they want to NUKE us!! I remain a fan and wish for your Long and healthy life," Poonawalla wrote in his X post.

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