Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Friday delivered a scathing response to jailed JKLF chief Yasin Malik’s claims that he had briefed former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after his meeting with Hafiz Saeed.

“They (Former PM Manmohan Singh) had handshakes with Yasin Malik… They had come into contact even earlier… What was their approach? Why has terrorist activity decreased in the country today? Because our approach is very clear. We don’t tolerate this nonsense, even if they are based in Pakistan or anywhere… So, as the Prime Minister, the Home Minister, and the Defence Minister have repeatedly said, ‘Ghus ke Marenge’. This is happening… Yasin Malik has been arrested and put inside. Earlier, he used to go to the Prime Minister’s residence and he was fed biryani… That’s why people despise them,” Joshi said.

The minister’s fiery remarks underscore the BJP-led government’s zero-tolerance policy toward terrorism, contrasting sharply with Malik’s narrative of alleged government-sanctioned backchannel talks. Malik, currently serving a life sentence in a terror funding case, had claimed in an affidavit to the Delhi High Court that his 2006 Pakistan visit and meeting with LeT founder Hafiz Saeed were part of a secret peace initiative coordinated with Indian authorities.