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Advani condemns Taleban's iconoclasm

Union Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani on Tuesday described as a "very serious matter" the demolition of the massive Buddha statues at Bamiyan in northern Afghanistan by the ruling Taleban militia.

"No words can be too strong to condemn this attack," Advani told a press conference in Port Blair. "The matter has been taken up by Parliament and the statement has been endorsed by all."

He said the entire world had been outraged by the "heinous crime".

To a question on the declaration of a unilateral cessation of military action by India in Jammu & Kashmir, Advani said: "Pakistan's response to this initiative has been inadequate."

"The only response Pakistan has given is to stop firing across the border. But it has not stopped aiding and abetting militant outfits like the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad [which are] based there," he said.

He said the government had adopted a three-pronged strategy to counter militancy in the country. The first part of the strategy involves giving a boost to developmental activities whether in the Northeast, Jammu & Kashmir and elsewhere to prevent the youth from being weaned away from the mainstream towards militancy.

The second part is to mobilise international opinion against "a country which has been aiding and abetting cross-border terrorism, which is a crime not only against humanity but also against civilised society".

In this context, he said, several countries had set up joint working groups with India to fight terrorism. The countries that have responded positively to India's initiatives in combating terrorism include the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Israel and Russia.

The third part of the strategy, the home minister said, involves initiation of talks with militant groups who agree to lay down arms.

He said that while talks have been going on with the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland, several rounds of discussions have also been held with the Bodo Liberation Tigers in the Northeast.

To a question, Advani said some decisions on Jammu & Kashmir had evoked a positive response from the people, who are yearning for peace in the state.

PTI

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