“THE TERRORISTS ARE DESPERATE”
BJP general secretary RAM MADHAV says the July 10 attack on pilgrims returning from Amarnath only reflects the desperation and frustration within militant ranks. Excerpts from an exclusive interview with Deputy Editor UDAY MAHURKAR:
Q. Seven Amarnath pilgrims are dead. A new low in Jammu & Kashmir?
A. No, not at all. I believe the attack was a result of desperation on the part of the terrorists at being thwarted by security forces. The immediate neutralisation of the terrorists who killed six policemen [at Achabal on June 16] is an example of how the rules of the game have changed in Kashmir. But our security forces have the more challenging job. They have to deliver 100 on 100, while for terrorists even one hit out of 100 attempts is seen as success. We have to see the Kashmir scenario in this backdrop.
Q. Does this attack warrant a review of security measures employed in the Kashmir Valley? A. The review of security is an ongoing process in the Valley. Soon after the Amarnath attack, two ministers were sent from Delhi to take part in
the review process. These constant reviews, as well as other measures, made sure that Burhan Wani’s death anniversary passed peacefully, despite the terrorists’ all-out attempts to create trouble on that day.
Q. The Lashkar-e-Taiba has denied involvement in the July 10 attack. How do you respond? A. We are not going by what terrorist groups put out through the media, but by the actual situation on the ground. From initial indications, it appears that the LeT was behind this attack. But investigations should soon reveal the actual perpetrators.
Q. The US State Department has condemned the attack as ‘an attack on people who were exercising their right to worship’...
A. The entire world has condemned the Amarnath attack. We welcome this gesture. But this is our war on terror, and it is we who have to fight it. We are determined to win it by flushing out the terrorists from the Valley. Our security forces are fully geared up for the job.
Q. China has blocked access to Mansarovar, and now Pakistani terrorists have targeted the Amarnath yatra. Are these deliberate attempts to target communal faultlines within India? A. I don’t think so. These are two different, standalone problems. China is a different issue. The two shouldn’t be seen together. The Amarnath attack is the result of the frustration of terrorists against the determination of our security forces to root them out.
Q. What is the future of the PDP-BJP alliance in J&K?
A. The J&K assembly passed the GST, joining the ‘one nation, one tax’ regime. This is no small development. We are also working on the basis of a common minimum programme. Our efforts will be to ensure that the government completes its full term.
Q. Despite the hiccups we have seen? A. Which alliance doesn’t see hiccups?
“The entire world has condemned the attack. We welcome this gesture. But this is our war on terror, and it is we who have to fight it”