Give Pak a fitting reply 8212; Munde

PUNE, JUNE 16: Strongly condemning Pakistan for resorting to abhorrent acts of mutilating bodies of Indian soldiers in the Kargil operati...

PUNE, JUNE 16: Strongly condemning Pakistan for resorting to abhorrent acts of mutilating bodies of Indian soldiers in the Kargil operations, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Gopinath Munde on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to give a fitting reply to Pakistan.

Munde was speaking at the ceremony organised by the city unit of Bharatiya Janata Party at the war memorial at Morwada junction to pay tributes to the martyrs8217; of Kargil operation.

8220;Prisoners of war should be returned with full honour to the nation but the fact that the bodies were returned in a mutilated form should be condemned,8221; he said. The minister expressed full confidence that the Indian soldiers would succeed in flushing out infiltrators from Kargil and appealed to the prime minister not to forgive the acts committed by Pakistan. India has already broken their backs in 1962, divided them in the 1971 war. This time, India shall succeed in wiping out Pakistan, he thundered.

Accusing Pakistan of attempting to internationalise the issue, he said that the infiltrators had been deliberately sent to create unrest in the region. 8220;However, Pakistan has not received any international support on this issue,8221; he remarked.

8220;India has foiled ISI attempts to create internal unrest as a result of which most Indian citizens have been able to visit Kashmir,8221; he said and urged citizens to prepare themselves for making sacrifices to the nation.

Earlier, district gaurdian minister Pramod Navalkar urged the citizens to be prepared for a full scale war and act with responsibility. This is no game, but a matter of war, he said, emphatically stating that this should the final lesson for Pakistan.

Col Anil Athale, defence expert, described the attempts to push infiltrators in India as a last ditch effort create unrest in the country. He lauded the Indian troops for their magnificent jobs at Kargil and expressed confidence that they would succeed in their efforts.

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BJP city president Pradeep Rawat said that programmes should be organised at every chowk in the city to boost the morale of the Indian troops.

Vijay Kale, general secretary, said that the party would observe June 16 to June 23 as the 8220;Shahid Vandana8221; week. Programmes will be conducted throughout the week and ex-servicemen will also be involved in these efforts, he said.

Passions ran high at the war memorial with cries of Vande Mataram and 8220;Squadron leader Ahuja Amar Rahe8221; renting the air. Citizens also carried placards condemning Pakistan. The memorial saw truckloads of party workers and concerned citizens making an effort to be present at the memorial to pay tributes.