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If all efforts fail, army is there: Fernandes

"The situation has reached a threshold level," he told SAB TV.

He said if international efforts to make Pakistan end cross-border terrorism failed, the "[Indian] Army is there" to tackle the issue.

"We don't have inexhaustible patience... If another Kaluchak takes place, there won't be any time [for India to act]. We have already reached more or less the end of the road," Fernandes said.

He said troops were mobilised following the December 13 attack on Parliament to "make Pakistan realise" that India was not ready to put up with such actions anymore.

Calling Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's recent statements "provocative", he said India expected the US-led coalition against terrorism to "collectively take a stand" with regard to Islamabad's support to cross-border terrorism.

Noting that Musharraf had promised to take action to curb terrorism in his January 12 speech, Fernandes said, "Nothing has happened on the ground. Instead one after another, attacks have taken place."

"The coalition must show it has a spine and means business. It should demonstrate that its campaign is not confined to Afghanistan," he said.

Defending the mobilisation of troops, he said it had resulted in the mounting of international pressure on Pakistan.

On Vajpayee's statement that India should have taken action soon after the Parliament attack, Fernandes said, "But it was necessary to organise ourselves and carry out the deployment. By the time the deployment completed, a whole lot of countries persuaded the leadership of our country to avoid hostility and seek resolution through other means."

Fernandes said India was ready to hold "substantive talks" and discuss all issues if Pakistan put a stop to cross-border terrorism.

During the hour-long programme, he denied having any role in the purchase of coffins during the Kargil war and clarified his controversial statement on the riots in Gujarat.

PTI

Terrorism Strikes in Jammu: The complete coverage

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