The Hindu : Army to increase presence in J&K, if needed: Fernandes

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 02, 2003

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Army to increase presence in J&K, if needed: Fernandes

NEW DELHI APRIL 1. Voicing serious concern over reports of massing nearly 2,00,000 "jehadis" across the border in Pakistan, the Defence Minister, George Fernandes, today said if required, the Army's presence would be further increased in Jammu and Kashmir.

At the same time, he favoured continuance of the "healing touch" policy of the Mufti Mohammed Sayeed Government.

Mr. Fernandes said while the world attention was riveted on the conflict in Iraq, there were reports of 2,00,000 trained "jehadis" comprising Afghans, Pakistanis and from some other countries being massed across the border "ready for any kind of action" in the Valley.

Such reports had been corroborated in London and the U.S. State Department and this would be factored in by a special group set up to review the security scenario in the State especially in the wake of the Nadimarg massacre, he told PTI in an interview here.

Stressing that such reports became much more significant as Pakistan was seen as a "comrade in the fight against terrorism", he said "there is confirmation now that it is a biggest terrorist state" — the confirmation coming from two major allies of the coalition now waging the war against Iraq.

Observing that the special group, set-up by a high-level meeting chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, last night, was seized of the entire security scenario in J&K, Mr. Fernandes said it had been authorised to codify India's "riposte".

To a query on the "healing touch" policy of the PDP-led Government, he said: "No, I don't think that we should give up the policy. On the contrary, we need to put our best foot forward in that direction".

On measures to reassure and safeguard minorities in the wake of the Nadimarg massacre, Mr. Fernandes said there could be two ways to deal with the menace.

One would be ensuring a self-generated security in the form of training and arming the public on the lines of Village Defence Committees (VDCs) and the second would be sanitising the areas where the minority community lives so that speedy action could be taken upon any slightest suspicious movement.

"All these ideas emerged from yesterday's meeting and will be brought into effect," he said.

Unilateralism

Mr. Fernandes cautioned that the unilateralism of the U.S. and Britain in waging a war against Iraq could have "great consequences" and termed the talk of reconstruction of the war-devastated country as "sickening".

Declaring that the very talk of post-war reconstruction of Iraq made him "sick rather than enthused", he said India had decided to provide relief and rehabilitation to the people of Iraq in whatever way it could. — PTI

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