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Showing contexts for: I quote in Regarding India-Pakistan Relations (Concluded). on 8 May, 2003Matching Fragments
Here I would like to quote the Prime Minister on his speech in Gangtok, Sikkim on the 14th April where he said and I quote : "To create a conducive atmosphere for talks it is imperative that cross-border terrorism is stopped immediately." The implication here is quite clear. The Prime Minister here quite clearly implied that talks with Pakistan will be held only after it stopped cross-border terrorism.
But then, the Prime Minister extended his hand of friendship to Pakistan in Srinagar, on 17th April, with the following words. Again I quote : "We are again extending a hand of friendship, but hands should be extended from both sides. Both sides should decide to live together." Here there is no mention, as far as I know, -- from all the reports that we saw coming out from Srinagar -- of cross-border terrorism.
Then again, the Prime Minister at the very end of hissuo motu statement in the Lok Sabha on the 23th April said and again I quote : "Stopping cross-border infiltration and destruction of terrorist infrastructure can open the doors for talks." This is not as categorical as in Gangtok, but it is nuanced nevertheless. Therefore, are we now to understand that the Government has obtained firm commitments from Pakistan that its sponsorship of cross-border terrorism will cease? Are we to understand that this remains the pre-condition for the resumption of dialogue?
With your kind permission Sir, I would like to quote a paragraph from Mr. Stephen Cohen, Professor of Brooklyn Institute, USA. He said:
"Pakistan was a case study of negatives. A State seemingly incapable of establishing a normal political system, supporting the radical Islamic Taliban and mounting Jehadi operations into India while its own economy and political systems were collapsing and international, religious and ethnic based violence were rising dramatically."
I am not going into the details of this. In this mindset, in this situation, we have to deal with Pakistan.
There are two alternatives. One alternative is, sanitise 50 kms. to 60 kms. of the area in the PoK, that is, Muzzaffrabad, Dunki and all those places which are the breeding grounds of the Jehadis, the Talibanis and all those people who come to India; cross-border terrorism and infiltration that have been taking place. That is a milder term of this. Or, we can take over PoK, as our friend has said, "it is quite necessary that we should take over PoK immediately".
Sir, before I conclude, I would like to quote a famous statement of Caligula, one of the Emperors of Rome. Caligula had said in Latin and I quote: