'Taliban's fall precursor to peace in J&K'

By Sarabjit Pandher

AMRITSAR, NOV. 18. The Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, saw the defeat of religious fanaticism in Afghanistan as a trend- setting example to the rest of the world and hoped that the fall of the Taliban could well be a precursor to peace in Kashmir. He expected that the so called ``jehad'' would also meet a similar end in Kashmir as religion was not supposed to repress or deny people their freedom.

Addressing a rally here this afternoon to mark the culmination of the celebrations for the bicentennial of the coronation of the legendary Sikh monarch, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who was known as the ``Sher-e-Punjab'' (Lion of Punjab), he called for an early end to the war in Afghanistan so that the task of reconstruction could be taken up at the earliest. As the entire world was united against injustice, the process of rehabilitation of refugees from Afghanistan would begin, which would ensure that the people of all communities, especially the Sikhs and Hindus, return to their homes. However, he surprised many by not making even an indirect reference to Pakistan.

Quoting historic Indo-Afghan ties, the Prime Minister foresaw a role for India in the reconstruction of Afghanistan and the rehabilitation of the refugees after the war. He expected that the liberation of Kandahar would lead to the end of atrocities committed on the innocent people in the name of religion.

Mr. Vajpayee complimented the courage of the Punjabi people who fought terrorism without any foreign assistance or ``international declarations''. He recalled the role of the administration, which stood by the people to turn the tables on the terrorists.

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