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No weapon will be spared for self-defence: PM
By J. P. Shukla
LUCKNOW, JAN. 2. The Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, today said all military options were open in India's war against terrorism.
Addressing an Arya Pratinidhi Sammelan here, Mr. Vajpayee, said no weapon would be spared in self-defence. Whatever weapon was available, it would be used no matter how it wounded the enemy. India was a worshipper of peace but if the situation demanded, it was always ready to fight. ``Ham shanti ke pujari hain, par awashyakata padane par dhanushdhari hain,'' he said.
The attack on Parliament was not only an attack on a building made of cement and mortar, but an attack on the heart of India. This kind of an attack was different from killing a few persons, he said.
Referring to the world's reaction to the whole issue, Mr. Vajpayee said that when India conducted nuclear tests there was adverse reaction from other countries. But in self-defence no weapon would be spared. While India wanted peace, it was capable of being fierce, if needed. It was time it gave a reply to Pakistan, he added.
Blaming Pakistan squarely for supporting terrorism, Mr. Vajpayee said, ``Terrorism is the state policy of Pakistan.'' Whatever steps it had recently taken for curbing terrorism were not enough.''
Rejecting Pakistan's demand for proof against terrorist organisations functioning from its territory, he asked, ``Why was it that the terrorists came from Pakistan? Whose hand was behind the terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament?'' It was strange that the same people were demanding proof. Even documents recovered from the slain terrorists proved their links with Pakistan.
He said it had been well-established before the world community that Pakistan had committed treachery and deceived India. But it was better to be deceived that to deceive, Mr. Vajpayee said.
Pakistan could not take selective action against terrorists. It could not take one stand in its own territory and another stand in the case of occupied Kashmir, the Prime Minister said.
Pakistan had no alternative but to fight terrorism. Since it was part of the international community which was fighting a war against terrorism, it must take the steps which the international community had taken.
The present terrorist attacks generated from religious fanaticism, which never made distinctions. In Afghanistan, those following terrorism and others opposed to it belonged to the same religious community. But they were at war. India had supported the Northern Alliance in this war. Now things had changed. A change had taken place in Afghanistan and Pakistan was set to change the same way, Mr. Vajpayee said.
To attack on the sly and create bigotry was madness. Now India would have to face this situation with all its determination. This was the last battle against terrorism and India would see that now the menace was defeated forever.
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