National

Patil rules out `hot pursuit' in Bangladesh

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, DEC. 22. While asserting that India was neither a weak nor a soft State, the Union Home Minister, Shivraj Patil, today said that India's approach was "correct'' in tackling the menace of terrorism.

Ruling out the method of "hot pursuit'' in dismantling the training and shelter camps of North-East insurgent groups in Bangladesh, Mr. Patil said India was not given to "war mongering'' and it was not a method which should be followed by a civil nation. "Being gentle does not mean being weak and being correct does not mean being weak or soft,'' he said.

"Terrorism affects each and every part of world today. We have to adopt the cooperative approach; cooperation is necessary. Our efforts are to make it clear to officials and the political leadership in Dhaka that providing a safe haven to terrorist groups can endanger their own national security sometime,'' Mr. Patil said during an interactive session after delivering the 17th Intelligence Bureau centenary endowment lecture on "New Dimensions of Terrorism.'' He was replying to a question if India could launch "hot pursuit'' where its security forces could go a few kilometres into the Bangladeshi territory to demolish the camps of North-East insurgent outfits there.

Rejecting the method of "hot pursuit'', Mr. Patil reminded the questioner that it would mean being ready for the ultimate, including the option of war. Over the past 60 years India has fought half-a-dozen wars. The theory of hot pursuit was acceptable only in extraordinary circumstances. "Have we been able to check militancy on Indian soil? If we have not been able do that, how do we carry out surprise attacks inside the territory of another country,'' he countered.

In reply to another question on the country's policy in meeting the challenge posed by terrorism, Mr. Patil said reasons behind militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, the North-East, U.P., Jharkhand and Bihar were well known. "Terrorism is being waged with the help of weapons as well as fuelled by social injustice and unemployment,'' he said but disagreed with the questioner that police forces in the country had become weak or lost the will to fight.

Emphasising the importance of building a consensus to condemn terrorism and making an action plan to contain it, Mr. Patil said the fight against terrorism would require long-term, sustained and coordinated efforts by governments and the civil society. "Instant communication, easy funds through narcotics and arms smuggling, global networking provided by umbrella organisations and tactical use of human rights issues while showing scant regard for the human rights of others are the new dimensions of terrorism that we are going to face.''

The Minister said emergence of extremism, religious or otherwise, as a global ideology and establishment of collaborative global linkages by umbrella outfits had imparted incredible strength, mobility and global reach to terrorist groups.

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