The Hindu : Pak. charges baseless: Minister

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 30, 2003

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Pak. charges baseless: Minister

By Our Staff Reporter

JAMMU MARCH 29. Taking strong objection to Pakistan's charge that the recent killings in Nadimarg in Jammu and Kashmir were committed by the Indian Army, the Union Minister of State for Defence, Chaman Lal Gupta, today said such allegations were crude attempts by Islamabad to cover up its own crime and save itself from world condemnation.

The Minister took stock of the security situation in the border belt with senior Army commanders and police officers at a high-level meeting in Rajouri town. Sources said a security review was conducted and strategies discussed for reducing infiltration.

Talking to reporters later, Prof. Gupta said, "the selective killings (in the State) are being made by the militants to terrorise the people, force them to migrate and to create divisions among the people of the State who have been living in mutual brotherhood for centuries". Expressing fears about the increasing infiltration, he said, "promises have not been kept by the people across the border.

The ground reality is that infiltration continues as before". "With the snow melting in the higher passes of the Rajouri-Poonch border belt there are increasing apprehensions of infiltration. Our troops are well prepared and their morale remains high."

Expressing happiness over the public support for the Army and other forces engaged in tackling terrorism, he said the security forces had also taken up numerous civic action programmes.

Pakistan, after having failed to grab Jammu and Kashmir through repeated attempts in the past, had now launched a proxy war which too was bound to end in defeat, he said.

The Minister also praised the courage and determination of the common people, particularly members of the Village Defence Committees (VDC), in combating terrorism and in helping the security forces flush out Pakistan-sponsored terrorists. Pointing out the need for providing the VDCs better infrastructure, he said the attitude of the State Government in this regard was not encouraging.

Meanwhile, the Minister of State for External affairs, Digvijay Singh, has asked Pakistan to stop exporting terrorism to India in the larger interests of its own societal fabric. Speaking during a two-day seminar organised by the Centre for Regional and Strategic Studies, Jammu University, on "Contemporary Pakistan :Internal Dynamics and Externalities" on Wednesday he said, "it is in Pakistan's own interest that it puts an end to terrorism. Terrorism is a cancer for Pakistani society which will pay a heavy price for it."

Blaming the Pakistani leaders, especially the military brass, for their callous indifference towards the people of Jammu and Kashmir, he mentioned in this regard India's endeavours towards normalising relations with Pakistan including the Lahore bus journey and the Agra summit.

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