Pakistan's nexus with Taliban cannot be ignored: Advani

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 15. Stating that Pakistan and the Taliban have been working in tandem in abetting terrorism, the Union Home Minister, Mr. L.K. Advani, today said the U.S. should not overlook this fact while formulating any strategy on curbing terrorism.

``The world cannot disregard the fact that for over a decade, Pakistan and now Taliban have been promoting terrorism. They have been giving refuge and asylum to all those indulging in terrorist violence,'' Mr. Advani said while talking to mediapersons after inaugurating the 30th annual training conference of the Border Security Force.

The attacks in the U.S. followed by subsequent developments and actions would have a direct consequence on the subcontinent, said Mr. Advani, adding,``the impact will be felt on the security scenario where our neighbour in the West will be the most affected from it.''

He further noted: ``We have to face this challenge emerging from the new scenario. We do not know how the entire scenario takes shape, but the kind of experience and determination our security forces have shown so far, we are ready to face all our adversaries.''

Mr. Advani said Osama bin Laden, whom the U.S. was suspecting to be the mastermind behind the attacks, was regarded as a `hero' among Islamic terrorists and also among extremists who were active in the Kashmir Valley. ``There have been instances when security personnel have recovered Osama bin Laden's photographs from bodies of terrorists.''

Mr. Advani said the recent incidents showed how in a single day a group of not more than 100 people could perpetrate such terror in the U.S. leaving the entire democratic world stunned. ``It is a war in which we do not know the enemy, and this is the biggest difficulty we face in fighting terrorism.'' He said India had succeeded in its efforts to make the world realise that fighting terrorism was a ``global challenge''.

``Our efforts have been reinforced by what happened on Tuesday but in a manner never imagined,'' he said. ``It is a new kind of war. What the U.S. has experienced now, we have been experiencing for the past two decades. Our Joint Working Groups to combat terrorism, which includes the U.S., United Kingdom, Israel, Germany and Canada, have been working in this direction.''

Reiterating that Pakistan was training terrorists to spread terror and kill innocent people in India, Mr. Advani - indirectly referring to Gen. Pervez Musharraf's statement describing terrorists as ``freedom-fighters'' - said, ``one man's terrorism cannot be another man's freedom struggle''.

On his meeting with the U.S. Ambassador to India, Mr. Robert Blackwill, on Friday, Mr. Advani said, ``he was extremely grateful for our offer of cooperation. He was particularly wanting that we widen our interactions in the field of intelligence.''

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