Vajpayee breathes down the General’s neck

Although he did not name Pakistan even once in his entire speech, he kept referring to it as ‘‘enemy’’ and ‘‘neighbour.’’

‘‘My coming here,’’ he said, ‘‘is also a signal towards something, whether the neighbour understands it or not and whether the world records it or not.’’

‘‘Nobody should think that we will keep on stretching the limits of our patience and that we are not alert and awake,’’ he said. ‘‘Our neighbour has initiated a new way. They don’t come and fight face to face. They rather tend to carry out a proxy war. They send mercenaries after paying them money or showing them dreams of paradise. They don’t, however, fight, they take lives of innocent people,’’ he said. ‘‘What war is it where children and women are being targeted, where a child is killed in the lap of his mother? What is their animosity with children? This brutality is a challenge before us.’’

Vajpayee flew to this border town along with Defence Minister George Fernandes, Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra and BJP MP Vijay Goel.

Security fears prompted authorities to keep the 6 lakh population of Kupwara district indoors. Not one local resident was seen anywhere. The road leading to hundreds of villages in the Lolab Valley was blocked by an armoured vehicle and residents were not allowed to step out of their homes.

Ironically, Kupwara is seen as the political bastion of Hurriyat moderate Abdul Gani Lone who was killed for his moderate views seeking an end to violence and a peaceful resolution of Kashmir dispute.

Vajpayee, however, told the troops to be ready for sacrifice. ‘‘Lakshya hamara vijay hona chahiye…balidan ke liye tayyar rahiye (our goal should be victory. Be prepared for sacrifice),’’ Vajpayee said.

He said the entire nation was ‘‘solidly’’ behind the troops at this critical juncture when they were ready to put an end to the proxy war.

‘‘The world understands that we are wronged and yet can’t come out in the open to say where it stands. So it’s our job to protect ourselves and we are ready,’’ he said. ‘‘We have faith in you and in you, I see the emotions of Indian people,’’ he told the troops amid thunderous applause.

Vajpayee said that several times over the past 54 years, the country has faced attacks every time the enemy has got a befitting response. ‘‘They tried to grab our land,’’ he said. ‘‘But our armed forces have always been alert while defending our borders…We want peace and our policies are to make India a prosperous nation but if a war is forced on us, we will fight back and win.’’

Referring to Kargil, he said: ‘‘We thought that repeated defeats have got them ready to choose the right path. And when we were holding peace parleys with the enemy, they sneaked in the darkness of night and attacked our snowclad peaks.’’