Every state a border state
: Swami
Sandesh Prabhudesai
1 October 2002
“With
India fighting a proxy war with Pakistan, every state
has become a border state today and anything can happen
any time”, cautioned union minister of state for home
I D Swami.
Addressing a press conference here before attending the Crush Terrorism
Day organised by the Goa unit of the Bharatiya Janata
Party, the minister in-charge of internal security
also claimed that terrorist activities have reduced
since the time prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee
has taken over.
However, he admitted that it is a utopia that terrorist attacks will
stop as a result of India’s successful efforts to
win the proxy war. Though suicide squads are still
attacking different parts of the country, Swami felt
that large turnout at J&K elections is a clear-cut
reflection of India’s victory over cross-border terrorism.
Reacting to Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray’s threat to withdraw from
the NDA if the terrorist attacks are not tackled by
following a different strategy, Swami denied that
more concerted efforts and a different strategy is
required to tackle the problem.
“Mr Thackeray is free to have his own opinion, but our government is
following a pro-active policy to counter Pak-sponsored
terrorism and fight the proxy war”, said the bureaucrat-turned
politician.
He also reiterated that India has a will power and strength to fight
terrorism and is not dependent upon foreign powers
like the USA or the western block. He however claimed
that we succeeded enough to create an environment
in favour of India among the international community
on the issue.
Dismissing the possibility of direct war between two countries any
more, Swami said the UNO would not allow any war in
future while nuclear power has also become a deterrent
to have actual war.
“These are the days of either having a proxy war or an economic war”,
he said, stating that India is already facing such
a proxy war. He also expressed confidence that India
will be victorious by winning the war against Pakistan.
