NEW DELHI, July 23: NDA’s Vice Presidential nominee M Venkaiah Naidu today warned Pakistan against aiding and abetting terror, saying it should recall what happened in the 1971 Indo-Pak war when it faced a humiliating defeat and Bangladesh was born.
He also charged Pakistan with using terror as an instrument of “state policy”.
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“Pakistan is mixing terror with religion. Terrorism unfortunately has become their state policy. Terrorism is an enemy of humanity and has no religion,” he said at the ‘Kargil Parakram Parade’ here to mark the supreme sacrifice of the soldiers in the 1999 conflict.
He said Kashmir is an integral part of India and not an “inch” of it will be ceded to the neighbouring country.
Naidu’s strong warning comes days after the US State Department listed Pakistan among the countries providing “safe havens to terrorists”.
“Our neighbour should understand that aiding and abetting terror will not help them. They had an experience in 1971, they should remember that experience and focus on creating peace and prosperity for their people,” he said.
Naidu also said Pakistan, which had embarked on the “Kargil misadventure”, was now resorting to “diplomatic misadventures” to foment trouble in Kashmir.
“It is time all ‘mis-adventurists’ realise that India’s development story can’t be derailed by such ‘shoot and scoot’ tactics. We are too strong to get irritated and lose our focus,” he said, ahead of the Kargil Vijay Diwas on July 26.
On that day in 1999, India recaptured all the posts in Kargil that had been occupied by the Pakistani troops and intruders from the neighbouring country.
“We are the world’s largest Democracy and one of the world’s oldest civilisations. We believe in civil ways of resolving all disputes. But if those with evil designs and ulterior motives cross the line, they will be taught befitting lessons by our patriotic and brave soldiers,” Naidu said.
In an apparent reference to Pakistan, Naidu charged it of making concerted efforts to create instability and tension in the region.
“Concerted efforts are being made to create instability and tension in the region. Even diplomatic misadventures are being resorted to violating all norms of diplomatic conduct. I will not be surprised if we see more and more such efforts,” Naidu said and warned Islamabad that the Indian soldiers would respond in a ‘befitting manner’ to these activities.
“Ours is a peace loving country. Peace flows in our blood. But when this highly coveted peace is denied to us, our brave soldiers respond in a befitting manner.
This is what proved by the success of Operation Vijay. Our soldiers braving several odds in defence of our country have the strong support of the might of 125-crore Indians,’’ he said.
Alleging that the terror attacks from across the border were aimed at upsetting the development narrative emerging in our country, Naidu said India’s development story could not be derailed by such ‘shoot and scoot’ tactics.
“It is because they are aimed at upsetting the development narrative emerging in our country with India steadily emerging as a powerful political, technological and economic power in the global scheme of things.
“We are the world’s largest democracy and one of the world’s oldest civilisations. Our credentials as a responsible global player are widely acknowledged,” Naidu said.
“That is the reason we got wider support when ‘surgical strikes’ were launched by our soldiers recently against cross border terror designs. We seek and firmly believe in peace in the region since development and uplift of the poor is possible only in such an environment.
“It is time all mis-adventurists realise that India’s development story can’t be derailed by such ‘shoot and scoot’ tactics. We are too strong to get irritated and loose our focus,’’ he said.
Complimenting the organizers of the ‘Kargil Parakram Parade’, meant to recall the valor of our brave soldiers and their sacrifices that resulted in a spectacular victory for the country in the Kargil War in 1999, Naidu said, “such events help in reminding our countrymen of the bravery of soldiers who are all the time alert in extremely difficult situations and environment in defence of our country and for the safety and security our lives.
They also remind us of the threats to our territorial integrity and sovereignty from across the borders. They remind us of the need to be alert and united in defending our national unity, integrity and sovereignty.
“We owe a lot to our brave soldiers who stay far away from their families and the nearer and dearer ones so that we stay happily with our families and the loved ones.
“Our brave soldiers had successfully retrieved for us the higher outposts in Kargil Drass Sector on July 26, 1999, after a 60 day long Kargil war, in the name of ‘Operation Vijay’. Since then, this day is being celebrated as ‘Kargil Vijay Diwas,” he said.
“Recalling the Kargil war, he said,’’during the winter of 1988-99, Pakistan hatched the conspiracy of sending their armed personnel and paramilitary forces into our side of the Line of Control in the guise of ‘mujahideen’ to capture higher outposts in Kargil sector.
Their evil design was to severe the link between Kashmir and Ladakh and there by make it difficult for us to maintain our posts in Siachen glacier besides giving a boost to terrorism being sponsored from across the LoC .
Another dimension was to internationalise the Kashmir issue. The Kargil misadventure was hatched just five months after Lahore Declaration was signed in February, 1999 by the two countries with the objective of de-escalating tensions between the two neighbours. (Agencies)
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