The Hindu : National : “Sabre-rattling does not stop terror”

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“Sabre-rattling does not stop terror”

Special Correspondent

Prime Minister castigates NDA’s performance on internal security

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday described as a “shameful sight” the former External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh escorting dreaded terrorists to freedom in exchange for the hostages aboard the Indian Airlines plane hijacked to Kandahar, Afghanistan, in December 1999.

“The signal that went out in this case was that if terrorists were determined enough, the government would merrily succumb to them,” Dr. Singh said as he castigated the Bharatiya Janata Party on internal security. He was replying to the debate in the Lok Sabha on the motion of thanks to the President’s address.

“Sabre-rattling does not prevent terror. It requires efficient, effective policing and intelligence gathering. The morale of our security agencies is high and we will ensure that they are adequately equipped to meet their challenges.”

Responding to the critical references made by Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani on the government’s performance in dealing with terrorism, Dr. Singh said he had no intention of scoring points against the Opposition on these issues. National security was too serious a matter for political one-upmanship. He assured the House that his government’s commitment in the fight against terrorism was absolute.

“I do not need to remind this House about the dark day in 2001 when, but for the fact that fate intervened and our vigilant watch and ward staff, our Parliament would have been the scene of a great deal of bloodshed.”

Dr. Singh said India faced a dangerous enemy in terrorism and “we must maintain a constant vigil to prevent terrorism from succeeding in its nefarious designs.”

He said his government’s multi-faceted strategy to defeat terrorism produced significant results. Making a special mention of J&K, he said there was a significant decline in terrorist violence and an upswing in economic and political activity.

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