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Adjournment motion on Jammu massacre rejected by Lok Sabha

The entire opposition on Tuesday staged a walk out in the Lok Sabha during the debate on the adjournment motion on the Qasim Nagar terrorist strike expressing dissatisfaction with the government's efforts to curb the growing menace of terrorism.

The motion was rejected by a voice vote.

During the debate, Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani gave ample indication that normal ties with Pakistan can be restored only if the latter dismantled the 'entire infrastructure of terrorism', which includes moral, economic and professional support to terrorists and their organisations.

However, Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha and former speaker Shivraj Patil expressed dissatisfaction with the government's efforts and the deputy prime minister's failure to give a point-by-point clarification to most of the opposition's queries.

The opposition members walked out of the House minutes after Advani ended his speech during which he ruled out the trifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir saying the country has already born the brunt of one partition on religious grounds and no such division of states would be encouraged or allowed.

Like Minister of State for External Affairs Omar Abdullah, Advani also said that the issue should neither be given a communal color nor be politicised.

He pointed out that after having been defeated thrice, Pakistan shifted from a direct confrontation to sustaining a proxy war against India by encouraging separatist movements in various parts of India, starting from Punjab.

Advani told the members that India's efforts had led to the international community shedding its earlier reluctance to accept Pakistan as the epicenter of terrorism.

Earlier, members belonging to various parties urged the government to take effective measures, including the use of armed forces if necessary, to stop cross-border terrorism.

They pointed out that Pakistan had done little to curb cross-border terrorism despite repeated statements from the US, Britain and the European Union among other nations about Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf's promises to stop the menace permanently.

Congress leader Shivraj Patil blamed the government for lacking a vision or a policy for dealing with terrorism.

He sought to know what the government had achieved by amassing troops at the border other than increasing the risk of a war breaking out.

Former speaker and Nationalist Congress Party member P A Sangma urged the government to destroy the training camps of terrorists in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Intervening in the debate, Defence Minister George Fernandes rebutted the charge that the government had no strategy to deal with terrorism.

Fighting terrorism was a big challenge and the proxy war may not be over in a year or two, he said.

He told the members that over 12,900 terrorists had been killed since 1990 while the army had lost about 2000 jawans in the process, he said. He ruled out the possibility of holding a dialogue with Pakistan without Islamabad abandoning its support to cross border terrorism.

Terrorism Strikes in Jammu and Kashmir: The complete coverage

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