N-dimension to proxy war: Advani

Speaking to The Indian Express in his office in Parliament House, the Home Minister said the Pakistani explosions would take the heat off India now. Excerpts from the interview:

Q: How do you see the ramifications of the Pakistani explosions?

A: There would be sanctions for both countries now. These will hit Pakistan’s economy and hurt it very badly. My own view has all along been, and Ihave expressed this in a small group (of the party), that if Pakistan goes in for a test, it would be good for us from all points of view.

Do you feel it vindicates your stand?

Absolutely. It has vindicated what India has done. If they (Pakistan) had done earlier what they have done now, can you imagine the demoralisation there would have been in the country?

The Defence Minister targeted China while you made Pakistan the object of your attack…

I did not want to bring in China consciously today, though the Bharatiya Jan Sangh had in 1964, and I was its President then, resolved to have a nuclear deterrent and that was soon after China attacked India. I stuck to Pakistan because it affects not just our external security but also our internal security for which I am responsible.

Will this not lead to an arms race in the subcontinent?

Unless they (Pakistan) abandon their obsession with Kashmir or we are willing to give it up. If we (the BJP) were not there, these people wouldhave given it up. More than the pseudo secularists, the real threat now comes from the pseudo liberals.

What do you mean by that?

Those who would like to hand over Kashmir and buy peace.

Surely no government will be able to last if it decides to hand over Kashmir?

It is not possible now after the last few years. Our growth has been reflective of the public opinion crystallising on this (issue). The more they (opposition leaders) attack us on this, the worse it will get for them. Yesterday the Prime Minister made a disarming speech. They made a mistake when they said there was no security threat from Pakistan. When I talked about the change in the geo-strategic situation having changed, there was no aggressive intent. What I was saying was that Pakistan’s proxy war had a nuclear dimension and that after Pokhran, it should not pursue that (course) because a change had come about. We had a nuclear deterrent which meant that we are not afraid of them just because they have a bomb.

Doyou see an intensfication of the proxy war in Jammu and Kashmir?

Just as in the case of Pakistan’s defeat in 1971, they went in for proxy war, their being left behind in the nuclear race may lead to its intensification. I expect it to be stepped up.

Mufti Mohammed Sayed interrupted you in the Lok Sabha today to say that the insurgency in the Doda area is not new and was coming under control?

Doda is one area. I mentioned four districts — Udhampur, Rajopuri, Poonch and Doda — where they have stepped up their efforts. If you visit the state, you will find people are afraid. Hindus have run away. I was speaking in the Rajya Sabha when I said that many people have run away and I was interrupted by (Balwant Singh) Ramoowalia who said that not “many” but “thousands” had migrated.

This issue gives you a good constituency?

These are not things you do to acquire a constiteuncy, though our constituency has come to us with this kind of an approach over the years.

Will you sign theCTBT now?

There is no such intention.

Yesterday the Prime Minister talked about formalising the moratorium and earlier Brajesh Mishra had also spoken in a similar vein?

We said in the beginning that we are ready to talk.

(P.) Chidambaram said in Parliament yesterday that the CTBT is not open to negotiation, either you sign it or you don’t.

Yes, that is their official stand. There are certain provisions like you cannot conduct tests…

Yet you are talking…

In the international arena, dialogue goes on.