New Delhi, November 29
Accusing the government of doublespeak on the issue of cross-border terrorism, the Congress today demanded in the Lok Sabha that Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee should clarify the position.
Raising the issue during zero hour, Congress Chief Whip P R Dasmunsi quoted Defence Minister George Fernandes as saying in Parliament in reply to a question that the mobilisation of troops had achieved quite a lot.
Mr Fernandes had reportedly said that the mobilisation exerted military pressure on Pakistan and forced the Pakistani President to denounce support to ‘jehad’ through his speeches of January 12 and May 27.
“Some of the terrorist organisations in Pakistan were banned, some terrorist camps in PoK were closed, their accounts frozen and leaders arrested. The infiltration this year has come down considerably compared to the figures of the corresponding period of the previous year,” Mr Fernandes was quoted as saying.
Mr Dasmunsi contended that the External Affairs Ministry was giving a different line, saying that Pakistan had done nothing to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure operating from its soil.
The MEA officials maintained that after an initial dip, infiltration level had shot up and even increased to the corresponding level of last year, Mr Dasmunsi quoted from a newspaper report.
The MEA figures showed that after General Musharraf’s May 27 declaration of ending infiltration, there had been an increase in the infiltration level. There were 1,624 incidents after May 27 as compared to 1,403 in the six-month period before that.
Mr Dasmunsi said the differing views had created confusion among the people and was only helping the Pakistan President.
“The government cannot keep quiet on this issue,” he said demanding that the Prime Minister should come to the House and clarify the situation.
As the Congress persisted with the demand, Speaker Manohar Joshi requested Law Minister K. Jana Krishnamurthy, who was present in the House, to bring the matter to the notice of the Prime Minister.
