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Advani to call all party meeting to prevent Chamba-like incidents

The Union government proposes to call an all party meeting shortly, to discuss the issue of terrorism in various parts of the country.

Union Home Minister L K Advani, replying to questions on his statement on the Chamba massacre in the Rajya Sabha, said the proposed meet would be part of the government's strategy to discuss all aspects of the issue.

Advani said the government was committed to completely wiping out extremist activities from the country.

He claimed the terrorists have lost the sympathy of the local population, and that the Himachal Pradesh chief minister has been told to expedite the setting up of an army cantonment at Bhaderwah to tighten security in the region.

Ghulam Nabi Azad (Congress), who belongs to the Bhadrawah subdivision of Doda district, about 17 km from the place of killing, regretted the government's ''total failure'' to contain terrorism. The Chamba massacre was the sixth such incident in the past one-and-a-half months, he pointed out.

He asked the home minister to justify the reduction in the army presence in Doda, from eight battalions in 1995 to the current three.

While calling for concerted and effective measures to tackle militancy, he emphasised the need to reactivate security forces and bring them out of ''forest huts, circuit houses and dak bungalows.'' He stressed the need to take proactive measures.

The Janata Dal's S R Bommai expressed concern over the escalation in militant activities which have now spread to Himachal Pradesh. ''If the government cannot control the situation, the home minister has no moral right to stay in office,'' he said.

Sharif Uddin Shariq (National Conference) expressed unhappiness at the failure of intelligence agencies in keeping the administration informed about the movements of terrorists.

He suggested a joint strategy to contain terrorism among Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Delhi.

The home minister also referred to the problem created by the presence of more than 10 million Bangladeshi nationals in the country. He said the government, during its deliberations with the leaders of political parties, would highlight that no attempt should be made to politicise the issue.

Advani said about 6,000 Bangladeshis have been deported by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government.

UNI

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