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Vajpayee warns Pakistan against misadventure

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee issued a stern warning on Tuesday to Pakistan to desist from any further misadventure as nothing would be achieved by taking recourse to the 'sword'.

Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on India's 54th Independence Day, the prime minister said the 21st century would not allow the use of the 'sword' for resolving any conflict. The new millennium, he said, would stress the resolution of conflict through dialogue.

"Pakistan will be mistaken if it thinks it can achieve anything through force. The clock cannot be turned back. Pakistan and the whole world should understand that India cannot be broken up," he declared.

Referring to the Centre's recent talks with the separatist Hizbul Mujahideen and his offer of negotiation within the parameters of "insaniyat" [humanity], the prime minister said his main desire was to "provide a balm to the wounded psyche of the Kashmiri people".

"But the entire world knows who sabotaged the talks," he said. He said Pakistan was showing sympathy with the Kashmiri people on one hand while simultaneously promoting a proxy war and cross-border terrorism.

"The two things cannot go together," he said. Pakistan has to understand this and stop all cross-border terrorism.

Quoting the famous poet Sahir Ludhianvi, he said Indians had remained united despite all odds and diversities. Nothing could divide them any further.

Stressing on security and development, he said the two were interdependent and one could not be achieved without the other. India was emerging as a strong nation and its voice was now being heard in international fora.

Asserting that Kashmir is an integral part of India, the prime minister advised the Pakistani leaders and people to pay heed to Sahir:

Gone is the time, gone is that age,
When 'Two Nations'' was the slogan,
Gone are those people, whose purpose was Partition,
One, now, are all Indians,
One, now, is India,
Oh World, know this, Oh world, know this.

He said the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh were tired of violence and bloodshed and wanted peace. There was a need to heal the wounded psyche of the people. "That is why I recently said India was prepared to search for the balm for Kashmir's agony within the framework of insaniyat."

He warned that nobody should underestimate India's willingness and ability to deal firmly with violence, terrorism, extremism and separatism.

He said India had to make determined efforts to meet economic challenges and accelerate and broaden the developmental process. He also called for reducing regional and social disparities.

The prime minister also cautioned against the spread of communal venom and discord inciting violence and said the government would not tolerate the activities of any such organisation. He said religious intolerance and hate had never been part of India's liberal culture and appealed to the people not to create "imaginary enemies" and not to resort to the path of using the "sword that inflicts wounds on oneself".

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