M A I N   N E W S

Drop terrorism, then talk, Advani tells Pak
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 4
Asserting that Pakistan will have to stop cross-border terrorism to create atmosphere conducive for talks, Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani today said that during September alone 28 attempts had been made to violate the Line of Control (LoC).

“During the past six months there has not been any fall in infiltration from across the border...in fact, in September alone, 28 attempts were made to violate the LoC,” Mr Advani said while inaugurating the 38th All-India Conference of the Directors-General of Police and Inspectors-General of Police here at Vigyan Bhavan.

Stating that India had the requisite strength and determination to foil the campaign of terrorism sponsored by Pakistan, Mr Advani said: “Vigil at the border has remained high even as steps have been taken towards rapproachement with Pakistan.”

More than 300 terrorists had been killed in the past two months and a detailed review to augment our anti-militancy capabilities was carried out by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the recommendations made were being processed for early implementation, he said.

Appreciating the efforts being made by the security forces to tackle terrorism, Mr Advani said the successful conduct of assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir and the revival of tourism in the state were clear indications the state was moving towards normalcy.

Emphasising the need for a stepped-up campaign against Naxal violence, Mr Advani said since Naxalites exploited developmental imbalances and latent conflicts in society to further their diabolical plan, the problem could not be solved through policing alone.

While praising the police for showing acumen in fighting terrorism, the Deputy Prime Minister said: “I have to be necessarily circumspect when it comes to aspects of conventional policing and the police-society interface.”

Unfortunately, the public image of policemen, as not being sensitive and responsive, had not changed in the past 50 years, Mr Advani said, adding, “To the public mind, no sophistry can absolve the police of responsibility in cases like the recent outrage of a Swiss woman diplomat at Siri Fort in Delhi, an area supposedly covered by numerous watchful police eyes.”

Today’s inaugural function was attended, among others, by the two Ministers of State for Home Affairs, Mr I.D. Swami and Mr Harin Pathak, Cabinet Secretary Kamal Pande and Home Secretary N. Gopalaswami.