Situation war-like, says PM

NEW DELHI, MAY 31: The BJP leadership and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today launched a blistering attack on Pakistan for sending ...

NEW DELHI, MAY 31: The BJP leadership and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today launched a blistering attack on Pakistan for sending mercenaries in the Indian territory and reverted to their earlier hard line against Pakistan.

At its emergency meeting, the BJP8217;s national executive warned Pakistan that it would 8220;learn an expensive lesson8221;; Vajpayee, speaking separately, said the country was faced with a 8220;war-like8221; situation following 8220;an attack, an attempt to change the border8221;.

The resolution adopted at the National Executive meeting also acknowleged that the Lahore Declaration was not the grand success it was projected to be.

The resolution noted that 8220;if the policy-makers in Pakistan sign, on one hand, a declaration in Lahore and then send in army regulars and mercenaries to occupy our territory, they will learn an expensive lesson.8221;

Vajpayee also referred to the theme of betrayal while addressing traders at his residence. He said he had told the Pakistani leaders of his apprehension that, when he was visiting Lahore on a 8220;peace mission8221;in February, Pakistan was preparing for a war.

Vajpayee missed the emergency meeting of the BJP which had been called to discuss the situation in Kargil. It passed a resolution, one paragraph of which virtually admitted the failure of bus diplomacy and supported the hardline associated with Home Minister L K Advani. It also tacitly admitted that the Shimla agreement of 1971 be the basis of talks between the two countries.

Sensing the mood in the country and the controversy raised over his statement exonerating the Pakistani political leadership and the ISI for the operation in Kargil, even Defence Minister George Fernandes changed tack and took a tough line.

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In BJP circles today8217;s resolution is seen as a vindication of the pro-active policy Advani had advocated towards Pakistan earlier. The pro-active action in Rajouri and Poonch paid rich dividends in the sense that killings of the innocents were reduced to a considerable extent, Advani supporters believe. It was this action which forced the intruders and Pak regulars to shift their areas of operation. And once the army became complacent during the winter months, they entered the Kargil-Drass sector.

The BJP switch in attitude is also in response to the feedback from its party workers who felt the soft line adopted on Pakistan has yielded no results. The party has decided to adopt a tougher stance in foreign policy for the September elections.