Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Monday asserted that his state could not be traded off in return for Pakistani support to the United States in tracking down Osama bin Laden. Pakistan is stupid. Neither Kashmir is a commodity for trade-off nor America will fall into the trap of Islamabad, Abdullah told reporters after a 40-minute meeting with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Lauding the role of Centre in fighting terrorism around the globe, Abdullah said that this fight cannot be limited to only one nation but has to be a joint effort of all civilised countries. The fight against militancy is not a war but a sustained effort by all civilised nations to wipe the menace of terrorism from the face of mankind, he said.
Apprehending heightening of militancy in his state if the United States attacked Afghanistan for Osama bin Laden, he said that this fear is not going to lessen our contribution in eradicating the menace from the world. He said that India had been quick to respond and condemn the barbaric act of terrorists in New York and Washington but added we had been highlighting the menace of militancy for past one decade. When our plane was hijacked and taken to Kandahar (in Southern Afghanistan), no one came forward. We went ahead alone and braved the fundamentalist groups. But we will go ahead and extend all help to any such country, which resolves to fight militancy and clear the world of such a menace, he said.
Bureau Report