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Ramesh Menon in New Delhi
Defence Minister George Fernandes on Tuesday hoped those who had control of Pakistan's nuclear programme would try their best to not let it fall into the wrong hands.
He was speaking at an international seminar, The Global Threat of Terror -- Ideological, Material and Political Linkages, organised by the Institute for Conflict Management in New Delhi.
He said the United States had lined up numerous nations to endorse its fight against terrorism and ironically, Pakistan, which harboured, trained, and mounted terrorist attacks on India for years now, had turned out to be the most loyal ally of the US.
"Perhaps, there was some poetic justice. It was the United States, which had collaborated with Pakistan in creating the Taleban militia to fight the Russians. Pakistan had now become the cat's paw for the United States to destroy the Frankenstein they jointly fathered," he added.
Fernandes pointed out Pakistan, which had used the Taleban to fulfil its nefarious designs in India, is now forced to fight it.
But, he claimed Pakistan was playing a double game, citing 'credible evidence' pointing to the continued involvement of the ISI in aiding the Taleban.
Fernandes said the US objective of capturing Osama bin Laden dead or alive may be unfulfilled, and the aim of re-establishing a new regime in Afghanistan would be a long-term gamble.
Fernandes minced no words saying the mere physical annihilation of Osama bin Laden, and the Taleban militia would not put an end to terrorism.
India had enough experience of how one country like Pakistan could keep terrorism alive for decades.
Pakistan, he said, emphatically, was the driving force behind every terrorist action on Indian soil in Jammu and Kashmir and the north-east.
Quoting from Sanjay Hazarika's book, Strangers of the Mist, he said, "Over the years, the ISI stirred the Punjab insurrection, arming and training Sikh extremists until a ruthless police official, Kanwar Pal Singh Gill, crushed them with an iron hand."
He said Pakistan had terrorist linkages in Punjab, Kashmir and the north-east, and used them to destabilise India.
Though India had been shouting hoarse about Pakistan's crimes from every global platform, no nation thought it was necessary to bomb terrorist training camps in Pakistan.
He said the Indian army had avoided attacking the terrorist training camps fearing civilian casualities.
Fernandes said freezing accounts of terrorist organisations was not enough, as these groups got their money from narcotics.
He wanted transparency in global banking operations, and getting the Swiss to open up all their numbered and secret accounts.
He said similar actions must be taken in all offshore banks and other agencies that hold secret accounts consisting of money secured through questionable means.
But, as the United States had high stakes in offshore banking, there was little hope that such flow of money would stop, he warned.
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