Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has ruled out the possibility of terrorism returning to the state. Addressing a press conference here today, the Chief Minister observed: The general public in Punjab is totally against terrorism now and therefore, there is no question of its return in the state.
While strongly condemning the July 8 bomb blast in a passenger train near Bathinda, in which 38 persons were killed and nearly 70 others injured, Badal said the forces inimical to the country and Punjab were bent upon disturbing the communal peace and harmony in the border state by organising nefarious acts of violence. In reply to a question, Badal said Pakistan continued to play a major role in disturbing peace in the state. He disclosed that he had spoken to Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral on telephone to plead that Pakistan should be pressurised to stop its activities in Punjab. The Chief Minister reiterated that the Akali-BJP government in Punjab was committed to maintaining peace and normalcy in the state at all costs.
When pointed out that four major incidents of terrorist violence had taken place since the formation of the Akali-BJP government in Punjab in February this year, the Chief Minister mentioned that such incidents of bomb blasts were occurring in other states too. He remarked : These are incidents of violence. These can not be described as the return of terrorism in Punjab.
The Chief Minister said one of the main factors which led to the near wiping out of terrorism in Punjab was the ultimate hostility of the general public against the terrorists. He explained: Terrorism passed through three distinct stages in Punjab - to begin with, terrorism commanded respect of the people; then it generated fear among the masses and finally the people at large turned against terrorism. Even today, people are totally against terrorism. The Chief Minister also appealed to all political parties in the state to extend their full co-operation to the government in the maintenance of peace and normalcy in the state.
He also stressed the need to strengthen the police intelligence to meet the threat posed by what he described as the external forces. As a political offensive to meet the threats of terrorist violence, the Chief Minister said: we shall go the people. At a high-level meeting of senior civil and police officers presided over by the Chief Minister, it was also decided to modernise the police network to meet the current situation.
